is a retired Japanese

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

who served as the 5th

Chief of Staff, Joint Staff The is the highest-ranking military officer and head of the Operational Authority (command) over the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff assists the Minister of Defense on all matters of the JSDF, and executes orde ...

of the

Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

from 2014 to 2019, and was the longest-serving person in that position. Prior to his appointment, he was the Chief of Staff of the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

, the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

of Japan.

Career

Katsutoshi Kawano was born in

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

on November 28, 1954, the son of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Katsuji Kawano.(His father was the Commanding Officer of Sub Area Activity Hakodate.) His father participated in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a young officer of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

. He aspired to be an naval officer under the influence of his father. Then when his father retired, he raised in Ibaraki,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

. He attended the

National Defense Academy of Japan National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, graduating in 1977 with a degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

. He then joined the

, serving in a number of command and staff positions. In 1991, then-Commander Kawano took command of the JS ''Oyodo'', DE-231, an

Abukuma-class destroyer escort The ''Abukuma''-class destroyer escort (or frigate) is the general-purpose destroyer escort of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is the successor of the earlier . Design This class was planned to replace the earlier and possess both ...

. In 1999, then-Captain Kawano took command of MSDF Escort Flotilla 3. In 2004, then-Rear Admiral Kawano took command of the MSDF Sasebo District. In 2008, Kawano took command of the Mine Warfare Force. His career was temporarily in jeopardy when a ship under his command, the JDS ''Atago'' (DDG-177), collided with a fishing boat and caused two fishermen to go missing. In 2010, then-Vice Admiral Kawano became the Vice Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Council. One year later, in 2011, he became the 45th Commander of the

Self-Defense Fleet The is the main force of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and was established at the same time as the establishment of the Self-Defense Forces (predecessor of the Ministry of Defense) on July 1, 1954. It operates ships and aircraft, and responds ...

, succeeding Kenichi Kuramoto. In 2012, he was succeeded by Yasushi Matsushita. 200px, Chief of Staff Katsutoshi Kawano and Then-Rear Admiral Phillip G. Sawyer, Commander of the Submarine Group 7, in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture on October 13, 2011. On 26 July 2012, Kawano was promoted to full Admiral and became Chief of Staff of the MSDF, replacing outgoing admiral Masahiko Sugimoto. As MSDF Chief of Staff, he was deeply involved in the ongoing

Senkaku Islands dispute The Senkaku Islands dispute, or Diaoyu Islands dispute, is a territorial dispute over a group of uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, the Diaoyu Islands in the People's Republic of China (PRC), and Tiaoyutai Islands in ...

On 14 October 2014, Admiral Kawano was named by then-Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), President of the Lib ...

as the

of the

Japan Self Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, t ...

(JSDF). As the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, his term as the is extended thrice, making him serve his post beyond his retirement age at 62. His term was extended first in November 2016, and was extended for a whole year through May 27, due to the North Korea Tensions and his close ties with

Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...

, and got his term extended again until March 31, 2019, as he was replaced by

Kōji Yamazaki General is a Japanese general who serves as the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). Before assuming the post in April 2019, he was the Chief of the Ground Staff at the JGSDF. Career Yamazaki graduated fro ...

. After retirement, he became an advisor to the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. Currently, he is a commentator for the

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

group and an advisor for several companies.

Awards and honors

– Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (Saudi Arabia) * Us legion of merit officer rib

–

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(Officer and Commander) * Order of Australia (Military) ribbon

- Honorary Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(Military Division)