The , or , is a member of the Japanese cabinet and is the leader of the

Japanese Ministry of Defense The is an executive department of the Government of Japan responsible for preserving the peace and independence of Japan, and maintaining the country’s national security and the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The ministry is headed by the M ...

, the executive department of the

Japanese Armed 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 ...

. The minister of defense’s position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan ( Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of S ...

, who is the commander-in-chief. The minister of defense is appointed by the Prime Minister and is a member of the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

. The current Minister of Defense is Yasukazu Hamada, who took office on August 10, 2022.

History

On 26 December 2007, the

Government of Japan The Government of Japan consists of legislative, executive and judiciary branches and is based on popular sovereignty. The Government runs under the framework established by the Constitution of Japan, adopted in 1947. It is a unitary state ...

made the decision to reform its Defense Agency to the Ministry of Defense in the expectation to have a far-reaching effect on Japan's future military development. The defense policy that has been pursued by Japan is based on the "Basic Policy for National Defense", which was adopted by the Cabinet in May 1957. Japan's main goal of national defense is the prevention of indirect as well as direct aggression from outside enemies. The Japanese government reformed the Defense Agency 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 state ...

with a ceremony that was attended by then Prime Minister

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 the then-new Minister of Defense

Fumio Kyuma Fumio (written: , , , , , , , or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese illustrator * Fumio Abe (1922–2006), Japanese politician * Fumio Asaki, Japanese ski jumping sports official *, ...

. The creation of the Ministry of Defense was in conjunction with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's continued efforts to ensure a stronger image 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, th ...

(JSDF). The bill in which to upgrade the Defense Agency to the Ministry of Defense was approved by the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

(lower house) in November 2007, and the

House of Councillors The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or ...

(upper house) in mid-December 2007. Minister Kyuma personally attended a session in the House of Councillors and gave a speech after the bill was approved. In light of the Defense Agency being transformed into the Ministry of Defense, the JSDF was given the responsibilities of international operations, disaster relief and peacekeeping within the overseas locations. On 11 September 2019,

Taro Kono is a Japanese politician serving as the Minister of Digital Affairs of Japan since August 2022. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he previously served as Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform from 2015 to 2016 and fro ...

became the first high profile 'prime minister-ready' politician to head the Ministry of Defense. He has the strongest LDP factional backing of any defense minister thus far. His social media following is second only to Prime Minister

Shinzo 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 ...

. He's a leading candidate for post-Abe premiership. Kono previously held the prominent role of foreign minister.

Chain of command

*1. Prime Minister *2. Minister of Defense *3. Chief of Staff, Joint Staff

Structure

The Commander-in-Chief of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), who does not formally constitute a uniformed military, is the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

. The

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

is a constitutional monarch who does not have political or military authority over the JSDF; that authority rests with the Prime Minister. However, it is important to note that the Emperor formally appoints the Prime Minister to office. The Minister of Defense is responsible for the organization and formulating the national security policy. The budget request is drafted by the Ministry of Finance and making its own legislative proposals to the

National Diet The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paral ...

. The Minister of Defense is advised on every concern related to the duties of the

by the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff.

List of Ministers of Defense (2007–)

Allied occupation of Japan

Following the end of

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the

Armed Forces of the Empire of Japan The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces (IJAF) were the combined military forces of the Japanese Empire. Formed during the Meiji Restoration in 1868,"One can date the 'restoration' of imperial rule from the edict of 3 January 1868." p. 334. they ...

were disbanded and US forces took control. From 1950 to 1952, the

National Police Reserve The , or NPR, was a lightly armed national police force established in August 1950 during the Allied occupation of Japan. In October 1952, it was expanded to 110,000 men and renamed as the . On July 1, 1954, it was reorganized as the Japan Ground ...

led by

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. I ...

Takeo Ōhashi was formed. It was renamed as the National Safety Force in 1952. In 1952, the Coastal Safety Force, the waterborne counterpart of the National Police Reserve, was founded and led by the Tokutarō Kimura.

Director general of the Defense Agency

These are the director generals of the Defense Agency. It is the predecessor of the Ministry of Defense which was established on 9 January 2007. *

Tokutarō Kimura Tokutarō is a masculine Japanese name, Japanese given name. Possible writings Tokutarō can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Some examples: The characters used for "taro" (太郎) literally means "thick (big) son" a ...

1954 *

Seiichi Ōmura was a politician and bureaucrat in the early Shōwa period Japan, who subsequently was a politician and cabinet minister in the immediate post-war era. Biography Ōmura was born in Tsuyama, Okayama. After his graduation from the Law School of ...

1954-1955 * Arata Sugihara 1955 * Shigemasa Sunada 1955 * Funada Naka 1955-1956 *

Tanzan Ishibashi was a Japanese journalist, Nichiren Buddhist priest, and politician who was Prime Minister of Japan for two months from 1956 to 1957, before resigning due to illness. He simultaneously served as Director General of the Japan Defense Agency. ...

1956-1957 *

Nobusuke Kishi was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. Known for his exploitative rule of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in Northeast China in the 1930s, Kishi was nicknamed the "Monster of the Sh� ...

1957 *

Akira Kodaki Akira may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Akira (franchise), ''Akira'' (franchise), a Japanese cyberpunk franchise **Akira (manga), ''Akira'' (manga), a 1980s cyberpunk manga by Katsuhiro Otomo **Akira (1988 film), ''Akira'' (1988 film), an ani ...

1957 *

Juichi Tsushima Juichi Tsushima ( ja, 津島壽一) (1888–1967) was the 7th President of the Japanese Olympic Committee (1959–1962). He was a graduate of the University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bun ...

1957-1958 * Gisen Satō 1958-1959 * Shigejirō Inō 1959 *

Munenori Akagi Munenori (written: 宗矩, 宗則 or 宗紀) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese ''daimyō'' *, Japanese animation director *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese ...

1959-1960 * Masumi Esaki 1960 * Naomi Nishimura 1960 * Sensuke Fujieda 1961-1962 *

Kenjirō Shiga Kenjirō, Kenjiro, Kenjirou or Kenjiroh (written: 健二郎, 健次郎, 健治郎, 健滋朗, 謙二郎, 謙次郎, 建次郎, 賢二郎 or 乾二郎) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese shogi play ...

1962-1963 *

Fukuda Tokuyasu Fukuda (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese long jumper *, Japanese historian of political thought *, Japanese singer *, Japanese politician *, Japanese feminist activist *, Japanese film director ...

1963-1964 *

Jun'ya Koizumi (January 24, 1904 – August 10, 1969) was a Japanese politician who served as Director General of the Japan Defense Agency during the 1960s. Life and career Koizumi was born in Higashi-Kaseda, Kagoshima Prefecture (now part of Minami-Sat ...

1964-1965 *

Raizo Matsuno was a Japanese politician. Matsuno was born in Yamaga, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture in 1917. He served in the Imperial Japanese Navy as an officer at the end of World War II as he was attending Naval Accounting School. Matsuno successively ...

1965-1966 * Eikichi Kanbayashiyama 1966 * Kaneshichi Masuda 1966-1968 *

Kiichi Arita Kiichi Arita ( ja, 有田喜一; 30 April 1901 – 9 February 1986) was a Japanese politician. During his time in politics, he served as the Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy, Director of the Ministry of Defense (Japan), Defense A ...

1968-1970 * Yasuhiro Nakasone 1970-1971 * Keiichi Masuhara 1971 * Naomi Nishimura 1971 * Ezaki Masumi 1971-1972 * Keiichi Masuhara 1972-1973 *

Yamanaka Yasunori Yamanaka (written: ; lit: "middle of mountain") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akira Joe Yamanaka, singer for the Flower Travellin' Band * Akiko Yamanaka (born 1945), Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic ...

1973-1974 *

Sōsuke Uno was a Japanese politician who was briefly Prime Minister of Japan in 1989, the first Prime Minister who came from Shiga Prefecture. A scandal exposed by the geisha Mitsuko Nakanishi contributed to his premature resignation from office after jus ...

1974 *

Michita Sakata Michita Sakata ( ja, 坂田道太; 18 July 1916 – 13 January 2004) was a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives of Japan. Throughout his career, he served as the Minister of Education, Head of the Defense Agency, Mini ...

1974-1976 * Asao Mihara 1976-1977 * Shin Kanemaru 1977-1978 * Ganri Yamashita 1978-1979 * Enji Kubota 1979-1980 * Yoshizo Hosoda 1980 * Koji Omura 1980-1981 * Soichiro Ito 1981-1982 * Kazuho Tanigawa 1982-1983 *

Kurihara Yoshiyuki Kurihara City Hall is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 66,565, and a population density of 83 persons per km2 in 24,994 households. The total area of the city is . Parts of the city are ...

1983-1984 * Koichi Kato 1984-1986 *

1986-1987 *

Riki Kawara was a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party. Biography Kawara was a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Nanao, Ishikawa and graduate of Chuo University, he was elected for the ...

1987-1988 *

Kichirō Tazawa was a Japanese politician. He held different cabinet posts and served as defense minister from 1988 to 1989. Early life Tazawa was born in 1918. He was a native of Inakadate, Aomori Prefecture. Career Tazawa was a member of the Liberal Democ ...

1988-1989 *

Taku Yamasaki is a Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 2003 and from 2005 to 2009. He directed the Director General of the Japan Defense Agency for two months in 1989, and served as Minister of Construction from 1991 ...

1989 * Jūrō Matsumoto 1989-1990 *

Yozo Ishikawa was a lawmaker and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). He served as director general of the now-defunct defense agency of Japan in 1990. Career Ishikawa was a member of the LDP. He was part of the group headed by Yōhei Kōno in t ...

1990 *

Yukihiko Ikeda was a Japanese bureaucrat and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician who served as foreign minister. He was in office from 11 January 1996 to 11 September 1997. Ikeda was known to be "Mr. No" in the political life. Early life and educat ...

1990-1991 * Sohei Miyashita 1991-1992 * Toshio Nakayama 1992-1993 *

Nakanishi Keisuke Nakanishi (written: 中西 or 仲西) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akinori Nakanishi (born 1954), chief designer for Mitsubishi Motors * Alan Nakanishi (born 1940), American politician * Chieko Nakanishi (born 1 ...

1993 * Kazuo Aichi 1993-1994 *

Atsushi Kanda Atsushi is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Atsushi (musician), Japanese singer and vocalist of the band Exile *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese synchronized swimmer *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Jap ...

1994 *

Tokuichiro Tamazawa is a Japanese politician serving in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He is a native of Tarō, Iwate and attended a graduate school at Waseda University , mottoeng ...

1994-1995 *

Seishirō Etō is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). He is affiliated to the revisionist lobby Nippon Kaigi. Career A native of Kusu District, Ōita, he atten ...

1995-1996 * Hideo Usui 1996 *

Fumio Kyūma is a Japanese politician who has served in the Diet of Japan since 1980. Kyuma graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1964 and worked for the Ministry of Agriculture. He was elected to the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly in 1971 serving thre ...

1996-1998 *

1999-2000 * Kazuo Torashima 2000 *

Toshitsugu Saito is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Fuji, Shizuoka and graduate of Sophia University, he attended Waseda University for graduate stud ...

2000-2001 * Gen Nakatani 2001-2002 *

Shigeru Ishiba is a Japanese politician. Ishiba is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and is the leader of the ''Suigetsukai'' party faction, and a member of the ''Heisei Kenkyūkai'' faction, which was then led by Fukushiro Nukaga, until 2011 ...

2002-2004 *

Yoshinori Ohno Yoshinori Ohno (大野功統 ''Ōno Yoshinori'', born October 16, 1935) was Japan's Minister of State for Defense in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's third Cabinet from 2004 to 2005. He is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. Persona ...

2004-2005 *

Fukushiro Nukaga is a Japanese politician and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1983 and represents Ibaraki's 2nd district.Fumio Kyūma is a Japanese politician who has served in the Diet of Japan since 1980. Kyuma graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1964 and worked for the Ministry of Agriculture. He was elected to the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly in 1971 serving thre ...

2006-2007

Ministers with military experience

Although Article 68 of the Constitution states that all members of the Cabinet must be

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

s, former military persons may be appointed Minister of Defense. *

- served in 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 ...

during World War II and rose to rank of

Lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

* Yasuhiro Nakasone - served in the

during World War II and rose to rank of

and worked as Paymaster *

- served in the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emper ...

during World War II and rose to rank of

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army unt ...

* Soichiro Ito - served in the

during World War II and rose to rank of

* Shin Kanemaru - served briefly in the Kwantung Army as

Sergeant Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...

in 1937-1938 and was discharged due to illness * Satoshi Morimoto - served in

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warf ...

and rose to rank as

Major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

* Gen Nakatani - served in

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

as platoon leader and instructor with rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

References

* "Library of Congress Country Studies", JAPAN, The Defense Agency

Retrieved 18 July 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Minister of Defense (Japan) 2007 establishments in Japan Ministries established in 2007 * Politics of Japan fr:Ministère japonais de la Défense

History

Chain of command

Structure

List of Ministers of Defense (2007–)

Allied occupation of Japan

Director general of the Defense Agency

Ministers with military experience

See also

References