About Ministry
Leadership
State Minister of Defense
HONDA Taro
Previous Ministers
Press Conference by Minister of Defense
Organization of the Ministry of Defense (MOD)/Self-Defense Forces (SDF)
To fulfill its mission of defending Japan, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) consists of various organizations, including the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces as armed forces, Internal Bureau that assists the Minister of Defense, Joint Staff, the Ground, Maritime, and Air Staff Offices, and Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency.
Organizations such as National Defense Academy, National Defense Medical College, National Institute for Defense Studies, Defense Intelligence Headquarters, Inspector General’s Office of Legal Compliance, and eight Regional Defense Bureaus are also composing elements of the structure of the MOD/SDF.
History
On January 9, 2007, 53 years after the establishment of the Defense Agency in 1954, the Ministry of Defense was born.
| 1950.7.8 | General Macarthur authorizes the establishment of the National Police Reserve. |
|---|---|
| 1951.9.8 | 49 countries sign Peace Treaty with Japan. |
| 1952.8.1 | National Safety Agency established. |
| 1952.8.1 | National Safety College (predecessor of the National Institute for Defense Studies) established. |
| 1952.8.1 | Technical Research and Development Institute established. |
| 1952.10.15 | National Safety Force inaugurated. |
| 1953.4.1 | National Safety Academy (predecessor of National Defense Academy) established. |
| 1954.7.1 | Defense Agency established; Ground, Maritime, and Air self-Defense Forces inaugurated. |
| 1954.7.1 | Central Procurement Office (predecessor of Central Contract Office) established |
| 1962.11.1 | Defense Facilities Administration Agency established. |
| 1974.4.25 | National Defense Medical College established. |
| 1997.1.20 | Defense Intelligence Headquarters established. |
| 2000.5.8 | Defense Agency moves to the Ichigaya buildings. |
| 2007.1.9 | Transition to the Ministry of Defense. |
| 2015.10.1 | Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency established. |