General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

(2 October 1965) is a Japanese military general who serves as the incumbent Joint Operations Commander since March 2025.

Biography

Nagumo was born in Yonezawa,

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

. In 1989, he graduated from the National Defense Academy and joined the Air Self-Defense Force. After joining the Air Self-Defense Force, he served as an

F-15 The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's des ...

fighter pilot and was responsible for airspace anti-airspace incursion measures. On August 25, 2020, he was promoted to the rank of

and appointed Commander of the Western Air Defense Force. March 30, 2023, he was appointed the Deputy Chief of Staff, Joint Staff. On February 15, 2024, the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff

Yoshihide Yoshida General officer, General (30 October 1962) is a Japanese military general who serves as the incumbent Chief of Staff, Joint Staff since March 2023. General Yoshida previously served as Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Chief of the Ground Staff, ...

was hospitalized due to overwork, so Nagumo took over his position. At a cabinet meeting held on March 11, 2025, it was decided to appoint Nagumo as the first commander of the Joint Operations Command, effective March 24.

Personal

* His grandfather is Major General Shin'ichirō Nagumo. * Read

Ryōtarō Shiba , also known as , was a Japanese author. He is best known for his novels about historical events in Japan and on the Northeast Asian sub-continent, as well as his historical and cultural essays pertaining to Japan and its relationship to the r ...

's " Saka no Ue no Kumo" and aspired to become a Self-Defense official. *

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many 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. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Chūichi Nagumo was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Nagumo led Japan's main carrier battle group, the ''Kido Butai'', in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and over the next months in successful raids on Darwin in A ...

of the former Navy, who commanded the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

and other operations, was also born in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture. His TAC name, a nickname for pilots, was also "CHUJYO," but he denies any blood relationship. However, according to "Shichisei: Manchukuogun Nikkei Gunkan Shichisei Shi (Nansei Kai, 1984)"（『七星: 満洲国軍日系軍官七期生誌』七星会、1984年）, Major General Nagumo and Admiral Nagumo are listed as cousins. * Hiroaki Uchikura, the 37th Chief of Staff, Air Self Defense Force, was two years his senior at the National Defense Academy, and they served together at

Chitose Air Base , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base located in Chitose, Hokkaidō, adjacent to New Chitose Airport. It is the JASDF's primary base in northern Japan and tasked with monitoring Japan's maritime borders with Russia. It was also Hokkaidō's ...

and other bases. Uchikura described Nagumo as "a motivational commander who ignites the spirit of his subordinates. He is both a hot-blooded man and a calm risk manager".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagumo, Kenichiro 1965 births Living people National Defense Academy of Japan alumni Japan Air Self-Defense Force generals