|
|
''
自衛隊
|
|---|
|
| Military age | 18 years of age
|
Availability
| males age 18-49: 27,003,112 (2005 est.)
|
Fit for military service
| males 22,234,663 (2005 est.)
|
Reaching military age annually
| males: 683,147 (2005 est.)
|
|
| Dollar figure | $45.841 billion (2004)
|
| Percent of GDP | 1% (2004)
|
Cited from 1
|
The , or , are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of
World War II . The force has been engaged in no real combat but has been engaged in some international
Peacekeeping operations.
2 "Although highly trained and fully qualified to perform the limited missions assigned to them, the SDF are small, understaffed, and underequipped for more extensive military operations. Its activities are confined to disaster relief and limited UN peacekeeping efforts." Recent tensions particularly with
North Korea 3 and the
People's Republic Of China 4, have reignited the debate over the status of the SDF and its relation to society.
5
The JSDF numbered 239,430
In 2005 with 147,737 in the Ground Self-Defense Force, 44,327 in the Maritime Self-Defense Force, 45,517 in the Air Self-Defense Force, and 1,849 in the Joint Staff Council. Reserves numbered 57,899.
6
- Prime Minister Of Japan
- ---Minister of State for Defense
--Senior Vice-Minister for Defense
-Branch Chiefs of Staff
- Five armies,
- Five maritime districts, and
- Three air defense forces.
Main bases are located in Hokkaido , eastern Honshu , central and western Honshu and Shikoku , and Kyushu .
Based on the Self-Defense Forces Law of 1954, the nation's defense establishment is organized to ensure civilian control of the armed forces. The result has been a unique military system. All SDF personnel are technically civilians: those in uniform are classified as special civil servants and are subordinate to the ordinary civil servants who run the Defense Agency. There is no military secrets law, and offenses committed by military personnel—whether on base or off base, on duty or off duty, of military or nonmilitary nature—are all adjudicated under normal procedures by civil courts in appropriate jurisdictions.
See Also: National security of Japan
Japan's Basic Policy for National Defense stipulates the following policies:
7 See page 3: "Basis of Japan's Defense Policy".
# Maintaining an exclusive defense oriented policy.
# To avoid becoming a major military power that might pose a threat to the world.
# Refraining from the development of nuclear weapons, and to refuse to allow nuclear weapons inside Japanese territory.
# Ensuring civilian control of the military.
# Maintaining security arrangements with the United States.
# Building up defensive capabilities within moderate limits.
Japan's USD $45.8 billion/year
Budget makes it the sixth largest military spender in the world, after the
United States ,
People's Republic Of China ,
Russia ,
United Kingdom and
France . About 50% of that is spent on the personnel and the rest is split on supplies, new weapons, upgrades, etc.
As a reflection of the forces' role, the Japanese term 軍 (pronunciation: ''gun''), referring to a military force, and the English terms "military", "army", "navy", and "air force" are never used in official references to the JSDF.
The ), Marines or amphibious units, large cache of ammunitions, or ROE (Rules of Engagement).
Japan conducts a significant amount of cooperation with the
United States , which in turn helps provide a significant portion of Japan's defensive capability.
8 Page 2-3: "...it would be
economically impossible for Japan to maintain such a system all by itself, and above all else it would be improper given Japan’s political stance. Therefore, Japan has opted to maintain a bilateral alliance with the United States... Japan has followed the policy of enabling the U.S. deterrence to work effectively for Japan’s defense while maintaining an appropriate defense capability of its own to build a firm and effective defense system and thereby ensure the nation’s security." The
Treaty Of Mutual Cooperation And Security declares that both nations will maintain and develop their capacities to resist armed attack in common. Also, it maintains that an armed attack on either country in territories administered by Japan will be considered dangerous to the safety of the other. However, Japan was relieved by its constitutional prohibition of participating in external military operations from any obligation to defend the United States if it were attacked outside of Japanese territories. The treaty also contains a
Status Of Forces Agreement on the stationing of
United States Forces In Japan . There are currently 47,000 U.S. military personnel in Japan, and another 5,500 American civilians employed there by the
United States Department Of Defense .
