| Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | |
|---|---|
| 陸上自衛隊 (Japanese) | |
 Emblem of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | |
| Founded | 1 July 1954[1] |
| Country |  Japan |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Size | 150,700 active personnel (2023) 56,000 reserve personnel (2023)[2] |
| Part of | Japan Self-Defense Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Colours | Red, White and Gold |
| March | "Battōtai" (抜刀隊) |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Prime Minister of Japan | Shigeru Ishiba |
| Minister of Defense | Gen Nakatani |
| Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | General Yoshihide Yoshida |
| Chief of the Ground Staff | General Yasunori Morishita |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Japanese: 陸上自衛隊, Hepburn: Rikujō Jieitai), JGSDF (陸自, Rikuji), also referred to as the Japanese Army,[3] is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service branches.
New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct the Japan Self-Defense Forces away from their Cold War focus on the Soviet Union to a new focus on China, especially in respect of the dispute over the Senkaku Islands.[4]
The JGSDF operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The present chief of staff is General Yasunori Morishita. The JGSDF numbered 150,700 soldiers in 2023.[2]
- ^ "Japan Self-Defense Force | Defending Japan". Defendingjapan.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-16. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
- ^ a b International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. p. 258. ISBN 978-1000910704.
- ^ "How to Secure Japan? Put Premium on JSDF Personnel More Than Hardware". JAPAN Forward. 5 March 2019.
- ^ Fackler, Martin (16 December 2010). "Japan Announces Defense Policy to Counter China". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2010.