Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Personnel
Sailors	45,800 (2003 est.)
Strength
Major Surface Combatants	146 (2003 est.)
Fixed Wing Aircraft	179
Helicopters	135

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is the maritime branch of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, tasked with the naval defense of Japan and formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II. The force is based strictly on defensive armament, lacking the offensive weapons typically handled by naval forces of equivalent size. Currently, its main tasks are to maintain control of the nation's sea lanes and to patrol territorial waters. Recently it has also stepped up its participation in UN-led peacekeeping operations (PKOs). Image File history File links Japanese-War-Ensign. ... The Japanese Self-Defense Forces (Japanese: 自衛隊, Jieitai) or JSDF, 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. ... Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Combatants Allies: • Poland, • UK & Commonwealth, • France/Free France, • Soviet Union, • USA, • China, ...and others• Axis: • Germany, • Italy, • Japan, • ...and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total: 50 million Full list Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total: 12 million Full list World War II... Norwegian Blue Helmet during the Siege of Sarajevo, 1992 - 1993, photo by Mikhail Evstafiev. ...

The Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) had an authorized strength of 46,000 and maintains some 45,800 personnel and operates 146 major combatants, including twenty one submarines, fifty-five destroyers and frigates, thirty-three mine warfare ships and boats, nine patrol craft, and nine amphibious ships. It also flys some 179 fixed-wing aircraft and 135 helicopters. Most of these aircraft were used in antisubmarine and mine warfare operations. USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate underwater. ... Mine can refer to a number of things: Mines are tunnels used in mining for extraction of resources. ...

The ship prefix for JMSDF ships is JDS (JMSDF Defense Ship). A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship. ...

History

Formation

Japanese Sailors aboard the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) training vessel JDS Kashima (TV 3508) stand in ranks after docking in Pearl Harbor.

Following the defeat of Japan during World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy was dissolved. In the 1947 Constitution, Article 9 specified that "The Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes." Over the years, the Japanese people have debated over whether this article allows for military forces to be kept for the purposes of self-defense, with the vast majority agreeing. Furthermore, due to the Cold War, Japan's greatest ally, the United States, was also agreeable to the Japanese government providing for a part of its own defense instead of fully relying on American forces. The JMSDF was then formed as the naval branch of the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) following the passage of the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Law. Download high resolution version (1200x787, 291 KB)Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (May 4, 2004) - Japanese Sailors aboard the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) training vessel JDS Kashima (TV 3508) stand in ranks after docking in Pearl Harbor. ... Download high resolution version (1200x787, 291 KB)Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (May 4, 2004) - Japanese Sailors aboard the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) training vessel JDS Kashima (TV 3508) stand in ranks after docking in Pearl Harbor. ... Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... The Constitution of Japan has the Article 9 No War clause. ... The Cold War was the protracted geostrategic, economic, and ideological struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their respective and emerging alliance partners. ... The Japanese Self-Defense Forces (Japanese: 自衛隊, Jieitai) or JSDF, 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. ...

Cold War

The first ships in the JMSDF were former US Navy destroyers, transferred to Japanese control in 1954. In 1956, the JMSDF received its first domestically produced destroyer since World War II, the Harukaze. Throughout the Cold War, due to the size and power of the Soviet Navy's submarine forces, the JMSDF was tasked primarily an anti-submarine role. It mainly used its large force of destroyers, frigates and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters for this. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The Soviet Naval ensign The Soviet Naval jack The Soviet Navy (Russian: Военно-морской флот СССР, Voyenno-morskoy flot SSSR, literally Naval military forces of the USSR) was the naval arm of the Soviet armed forces. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ... Sailing frigates were 4th, 5th, or 6th-rated ships in the rating system of the Royal Navy. ... A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers). ...

Post Cold War

Following the end of the Cold War, the role of the JMSDF has been vastly changed. Starting with a mission to Cambodia in 1993, it has been active in a number of United Nations-led peace keeping operations throughout Asia. In 1993, it commisioned its first Aegis destroyer, the DD173 Kongo. Following an increase in tensions with North Korea following the 1993 test of the Nodong-1 missile, the JMSDF has also stepped up its role in theater air defense of Japan. It has also been active in many joint naval exercises with the United States. During the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, the JMSDF dispatched a number of its destroyers on a rotating schedule to the Indian Ocean in an escort role for allied vessels. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization that describes itself as a global association of governments facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... The Aegis combat system, named for the mythological aegis shield, is a United States naval integrated missile guidance system. ... Myoko (DDG-175) in port at Akita, 2003 Kongo class destroyers are fourth generation destroyers and an improvement upon the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class (Flight I) which serve in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Escort Flotillas. ... The Nodong-1, sometimes Rodong-1, is a single stage, mobile liquid propellant medium range ballistic missile developed by North Korea. ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... Combatants United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mujahdeen fighters of Afghanistan, other nations Taliban regime of Afghanistan Commanders General Tommy Franks Taliban military leaders Strength Casualties {{{notes}}} Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the military response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States . ...

Capabilities and Recent Developments

The JMSDF is known in particular for its mineclearing capability. MSDF training emphasizes both antisubmarine and antiaircraft warfare. Defense planners believe the most effective approach to combating submarines entails mobilizing all available weapons, including surface combatants, submarines, aircraft, and helicopters, and the numbers and armament of these weapons were increased in the Mid-Term Defense Estimate. A critical weakness remains, however, in the ability to defend such weapons against air attack. Because most of the MSDF's air arm is detailed to antisubmarine warfare, the ASDF has to be relied on to provide air cover, an objective that competes unsuccessfully with the ASDF's primary mission of air defense of the home islands. Extended patrols over sea lanes are also beyond the ASDF's capabilities. The fleet's capacity to provide ship-based anti-air-attack protection is limited by the absence of aircraft carriers and the inadequate number of shipborne long-range surface-to-air missiles and close-range weapons. The fleet is also short of underway replenishment ships and seriously deficient in all areas of logistic support. These weaknesses seriously compromise the ability of the MSDF to fulfill its mission and to operate independently of the United States Air Force and the United States Seventh Fleet. In August 2003, a new "helicopter destroyer" class was requested; the size of the class has most non-MSDF analysts referring to it as a "helicopter carrier", which is problematic as carriers are prohibited by the pacifist constitutions, which consider carriers to be an offensive weapon. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) (kanji:航空自衛隊 koukuu jieitai) is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. ... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerospace branch of the United States armed forces. ... The United States 7th Fleet is a naval military unit based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near South Korea and Japan. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for August, 2003. ...

Organization

The MSDF is commanded by the chief of the maritime staff and includes the maritime staff office, the self-defense fleet, five regional district commands, the air-training squadron and various support units, such as hospitals and schools. The maritime staff office, located in Tokyo, serves the chief of staff in command and supervision of the force. The self-defense fleet, headquartered at Yokosuka, is charged with defense of all waters around the Japanese Archipelago. It commands four escort flotillas (two based in Yokosuka and one each in Sasebo and Maizuru), the fleet air force headquartered at Atsugi, two submarine flotillas based at Kure and Yokosuka, two mine-sweeping flotillas based at Kure and Yokosuka and the fleet training command at Yokosuka. Headquarters of Tokyo Metropolitan Government View of Tokyos Shibuya district Tokyo ) (help· info), literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized downtown area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ... Categories: Cities in Kanagawa Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ...

• Minister of State for Defence(=Director-General of the Defense Agency)
  • JMSDF Chief of Staff / Maritime Staff Office
  • Self Defense Fleet
    • Fleet Escort Force
    • Fleet Air Force
    • Fleet Submarine Force
  • Yokosuka District
  • Kure District
  • Sasebo District
  • Maizuru District
  • Ominato District

The Japan Defense Agency (防衛庁; bouei-cho) is an agency in the Cabinet of Japan. ... Categories: Cities in Kanagawa Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ... Kure (呉市; -shi) is a city located in Hiroshima, Japan. ... Sasebo (佐世保市; -shi) is a city located in Nagasaki, Japan. ... Maizuru (舞鶴市; -shi) is a city located in Kyoto, Japan, on an inlet of the Sea of Japan. ... Mutsu (むつ市; -shi) is a city located in Aomori in Tohoku region of Japan. ...

Escort Forces

AOE423 Tokiwa and DD111 Onami at the Port of Shimizu

Each Escort force is formed as an 8-8 fleet of 8 destroyers and 8 on-board helicopters, a modification of the old Japanese Navy fleet layouts of 8 battleships and 8 cruisers. Each fleet is composed of one helicopter destroyer (DDH) acting as a command ship, two guided-missile destroyers (DDG) and 5 standard or ASW destroyers (DD). Image File history File links JMSDF_AOE423_DD111. ... Image File history File links JMSDF_AOE423_DD111. ...

• First Escort Force - Yokosuka
• Second Escort Force - Sasebo
• Third Escort Force - Maizuru
• Fourth Escort Force - Kure

District Forces

Five district units act in concert with the fleet to guard the waters of their jurisdictions and provide shore-based support. Each district is home to a major JMSDF base and its supporting troops and staff. Furthermore, each district is home to one to two regional escort squadrons, composed of two to three destroyers or destroyer escorts (DE). The destroyers tend to be of older classes, mainly former escort force ships. The destroyer escorts, on the other hand, tend to be purpose built vessels. Each district also has a number of minesweeping ships.

Fleet Air Force

The Fleet Air Force is tasked with patrol, ASW and rescue tasks. It is composed primarily of 7 aviation groups. Prominent bases are maintained at Kanoya, Hachinohe, Atsugi, Naha, Tateyama, Oomura and Iwakuni. The Fleet Air Force is built up mainly with patrol aircraft such as the Lockheed P-3 Orion, rescue aircraft such as the US-1A and helicopters such as the SH-60J. In the JMSDF, helicopters deployed to each escort force are actually members of Fleet Air Force squadrons based on land. Kanoya (鹿屋市; -shi) is a city located in Kagoshima, Japan. ... Hachinohe (八戸市; -shi) is a city located in Aomori, Japan. ... Atsugi (Japanese: 厚木市; -shi) is a city located in Japan. ... Naha (那覇市; -shi) is the capital city of 沖縄県 Okinawa Prefecture (Okinawan Uchinā) in Japan. ... Tateyama (Japanese: 館山市; -shi) is a city located at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba, Japan. ... Ōmura (大村市; -shi) is a city located in Nagasaki, Japan. ... Iwakuni, including the Kintai Bridge Iwakuni (岩国市; -shi) is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan. ... The Lockheed SR-71, remarkably advanced for its time and unsurpassed in many areas of performance The Lockheed U-2 first flew in 1955 providing much needed intelligence on Soviet bloc countries Lockheed Corporation was an aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to form... P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a patrol aircraft of the United States military used primarily for anti-submarine warfare. ... The ShinMaywa PS-1 and US-1 (Japanese: 新明和 PS-1, US-1) are large STOL aircraft designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and air-sea rescue (SAR) work respectively. ... SH-60F of the United States Navy, with external fuel tank. ...

Special Forces

Special Forces units consist of the following:

• SBU (Special Boarding Unit)

In Japanese, known as "Tokubetu keibi tai".

• MIT (Maritime Interception Team)

In Japanese, known as "Goeikan-zuki Tachi'iri Kennsa Tai".

Recruitment and Training

MSDF recruits receive three months of basic training followed by courses in patrol, gunnery, mine sweeping, convoy operations and maritime transportation. Flight students, all upper-secondary school graduates, enter a two-year course. Officer candidate schools offer six-month courses to qualified enlisted personnel and those who have completed flight school. Graduates of four-year universities, the four-year National Defense Academy, and particularly outstanding enlisted personnel undergo a one-year officer course at the Officer Candidate School at Eta Jima (site of the former Imperial Naval Academy). Special advanced courses for officers are also available in such fields as submarine duty and flight training. The MSDF operates its own staff college in Tokyo for senior officers. The Japan National Defense Academy is an academy aimed to educate and train cadets who will be officers in three services of the Self-Defense Forces of Japan. ...

The large volume of coastal commercial fishing and maritime traffic limits in-service sea training, especially in the relatively shallow waters required for mine laying, mine sweeping and submarine rescue practice. Training days are scheduled around slack fishing seasons in winter and summer—providing about ten days during the year. The MSDF maintains two oceangoing training ships and conducted annual long-distance on-the-job training for graduates of the one-year officer candidate school.

Equipment

JMSDF ships docked at Pearl Harbor in RIMPAC 2002. Left to right: JDS Kirishima, JDS Murasame, JDS Ikazuchi and JDS Hamagiri

RIMPAC participant naval fleet of Japan docked at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, 2002, Four Japanese ships JDS Kirishima (DDG 174), JDS Murasame (DD 101), JDS Ikazuchi (DD 107) and JDS Hamgiri (DD 155), Official United States Navy Photo by William R. Goodwin, released to public on July 26, 2002 File... RIMPAC participant naval fleet of Japan docked at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, 2002, Four Japanese ships JDS Kirishima (DDG 174), JDS Murasame (DD 101), JDS Ikazuchi (DD 107) and JDS Hamgiri (DD 155), Official United States Navy Photo by William R. Goodwin, released to public on July 26, 2002 File... Satellite image of Pearl Harbor. ... Aircraft carriers and USS Abraham Lincoln speed towards Honolulu during RIMPAC 2000. ...

Surface fleet

• 4 Kongo class destroyers (two more under construction) - Aegis-equipped, theater and fleet air defense

• JDS Kongo (DDG-173)
• JDS Kirishima (DDG-174)
• JDS Myoko (DDG-175)
• JDS Chokai (DDG-176)
• JDS Atago (DDG-177) (launched)
• currently unnamed (DDG-178)

• 2 Haruna class destroyers - anti-submarine warfare

• JDS Haruna (DDH-141)
• JDS Hiei (DDH-142)

• 2 Shirane class destroyers - anti-submarine warfare

• JDS Shirane (DDH-143)
• JDS Kurama (DDH-144)

• 3 Tachikaze class destroyers - fleet air defense

• JDS Tachikaze (DDG-168)
• JDS Asakaze (DDG-169)
• JDS Sawakaze (DDG-170)

• 2 Hatakaze class destroyers - fleet air defense

• JDS Hatakaze (DDG-171)
• JDS Shimakaze (DDG-172)

• 9 Murasame class destroyers - multi-role large frigate

• JDS Murasame (DD-101)
• JDS Harusame (DD-102)
• JDS Yudachi (DD-103)
• JDS Kirisame (DD-104)
• JDS Inazuma (DD-105)
• JDS Samidare (DD-106)
• JDS Ikazuchi (DD-107)
• JDS Akebono (DD-108)
• JDS Ariake (DD-109)

• 5 Takanami class destroyers - multi-role large frigate

• JDS Takanami (DD-110)
• JDS Ohnami (DD-111)
• JDS Makinami (DD-112)
• JDS Sazanami (DD-113)
• JDS Suzunami (DD-114)

• 6 Asagiri class destroyers - general purpose escort

• JDS Yugiri (DD-153)
• JDS Amagiri (DD-154)
• JDS Hamagiri (DD-155)
• JDS Setogiri (DD-156)
• JDS Sawagiri (DD-157)
• JDS Umigiri (DD-158)

• 11 Hatsuyuki class destroyers - general purpose escort

• JDS Hatsuyuki (DD-122)
• JDS Shirayuki (DD-123)
• JDS Mineyuki (DD-124)
• JDS Sawayuki (DD-125)
• JDS Hamayuki (DD-126)
• JDS Isoyuki (DD-127)
• JDS Haruyuki (DD-128)
• JDS Yamayuki (DD-129)
• JDS Matsuyuki (DD-130)
• JDS Setoyuki (DD-131)
• JDS Asayuki (DD-132)

• 1 Ishikari class destroyer escorts

• JDS Ominato (DE-226)

• 2 Yubari class destroyer escorts

• JDS Yubari (DE-227)
• JDS Yubetsu (DE-228)

• 6 Abukuma class destroyer escorts

• JDS Abukuma (DE-229)
• JDS Jintsu (DE-230)
• JDS Oyodo (DE-231)
• JDS Sendai (DE-232)
• JDS Chikuma (DE-233)
• JDS Tone (DE-234)

• 3 Yaeyama class ocean minesweepers

• JDS Yaeyama (MSO-301)
• JDS Tsushima (MSO-302)
• JDS Hachijo (MSO-303)

Myoko (DDG-175) in port at Akita, 2003 Kongo class destroyers are fourth generation destroyers and an improvement upon the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke class (Flight I) which serve in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Escort Flotillas. ... The Aegis combat system, named for the mythological aegis shield, is a United States naval integrated missile guidance system. ... Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ... Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ...

Submarine fleet

• 8 Oyashio class submarines

• JDS Oyashio (SS590)
• JDS Michishio (SS591)
• JDS Uzushio (SS592)
• JDS Makishio (SS593)
• JDS Isoshio (SS594)
• JDS Narushio (SS595)
• JDS Kuroshio (SS596)
• JDS Takashio (SS597)

• 6 Harushio class submarines

• JDS Harushio (SS583)
• JDS Natsushio (SS584)
• JDS Hayashio (SS585)
• JDS Arashio (SS586)
• JDS Wakashio (SS587)
• JDS Fuyushio (SS588)

• 2 Yushio class submarines

• JDS Yukishio (SS581)
• JDS Sachishio (SS582)

See also

• Imperial Japanese Navy
• Japanese ship naming conventions

Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Japanese ship naming conventions are different from those in the West. ...

External links

• Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Japanese) (English)
  • JMSDF recruitment advertisement
• JMSDF overview at GlobalSecurity
• JMSDF equipment

Reference

This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...