March 23

Assumption of Command Address

Thank you for visiting the website of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Joint Operations Command (JJOC).
I am Admiral Tawara, and I assumed the position of the second Commander of the JJOC on March 23, 2026. I would like to take this opportunity to offer a brief greeting upon my appointment.

* For the sake of the nation and its nationals, the JJOC implements the following “all our hearts with integrity” as its core.
　In the face of danger, we respond with no fear to the trust of the people with our pride while leaving personal interests behind.
　Without compromise, we strive for our best collaborative skills, pursue our strict discipline and vigor to “win without fighting” and “win when we fight.”
　With love and respect, we value our comradery and nurture our iron-willed organization with its rapport culture and mutual trust.

The world today stands amid increasingly uncertain and unpredictable turbulence. The security environment can rapidly shift from peacetime to contingency situations. With the rapid advancement and application of information science and technology, the domains of security activities have expanded to encompass land, maritime, air, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as information warfare, including the cognitive domain. At the same time, responses, particularly decision-making, are accelerating at an unprecedented pace. The nature of warfare has fundamentally changed, and the boundaries between physical and non-physical domains are steadily dissolving.

In addition, ensuring preparedness for unpredictable and increasingly severe disasters, such as a major earthquake directly beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area, a Nankai Trough earthquake, as well as typhoons and heavy rainfall, remains an urgent and continuous challenge.

Amid this rapidly evolving security environment and the risk of large-scale disasters, we must adapt to a new era by further increasing our speed, and continuously refining our capabilities, and steadfastly execute our missions.

The JJOC will continue to strengthen cooperation with relevant ministries and agencies of the Government of Japan, internal bureaus, and the Japan Joint Staff. We will also deepen collaboration with our ally, the United States, and with like-minded partners that share common values, including Australia, the Philippines, European nations, India, and others, as well as with the major commands of respective JSDF service, thereby making Japan’s defense capabilities truly robust.

The JJOC is committed to fulfilling the trust placed in us by the people of Japan.
I sincerely appreciate your continued understanding and support.

March 13

Farewell Remarks

Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits.
　I would like to inform you that I will step down from my current position as the Commander of the Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Operations Command (JJOC) and retire as of March 23, 2026.
　I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words to everyone who usually browses this website.

First of all, when JJOC was established in March 2025, we received great support from many people. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for that support, as well as for your profound understanding on the routine activities of JJOC.

Since its establishment, JJOC has been striving to consolidate its readiness posture and enhance its capabilities, with its primary objectives of “To respond to incidents seamlessly”, “To enhance effectiveness in Cross Domain Operations”, and “To strengthen cooperation with partners and like-minded countries.”

In these last years, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has continued, and in the Middle East, we have seen conflicts between Israel and Palestine and recently armed conflicts between Iran and the U.S. and Israel. Additionally, China has been expanding the scale and extent of its activities as seen in large-scale military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region such as “Justice Mission 2025.”

Given that the international situation is becoming extremely severe and posing profound impacts on Japan’s security environment, nobody can say for sure that the same sort of situations arising in Europe and Middle East would never occur in the Indo-Pacific region.

The cost of war would be incomparably greater than the cost of deterrence. We must not spare any effort for deterrence in order to prevent similar situations occurring in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the East Asia region including surrounding area of Japan.

JJOC is slated to play an important role for ensuring the security of Japan, and continues to nurture human resources, train the organization, and enhance deterrence and response capabilities, in order to be able to fulfill the mandate entrusted by the Japanese citizens.

As my successor, Deputy Commander Admiral Tawara, whom I trust deeply, assumes command as the 2nd Commander of JJOC. I am strongly convinced that JJOC will continue to further develop its capabilities and advance as one under the command of the new commander. I sincerely ask for your continued understanding and support of activities of JJOC.

In closing, I would like to extend my best wishes for your health and continued happiness.

Jan 29

2026 Japan–U.S. Joint Bilateral Command Post Exercise (CPX)

​A review of the current world reveals that the security environment has become the most severe and complex since the end of World War II. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the unstable situation in the Middle East with its inherent risk of escalation, and China’s attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China Seas all underscore this reality. Global security is closely interconnected, and developments in distant regions can no longer be dismissed as having no impact on Japan’s own security.

Under these circumstances, the mission of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) is twofold: to deter potential contingencies before they arise, and, should a situation occur, to respond decisively under the orders of the Minister of Defense, bearing primary responsibility for protecting the lives and livelihoods of the Japanese people. Once a contingency occurs, the losses incurred would be immeasurable. “Winning without fighting” remains ideal. Continuous efforts to strengthen deterrence in peacetime ultimately serve to reduce the burden on the nation as a whole. To enhance deterrence, the following three elements are essential.

1. Strengthening Japan’s own defense posture

A stronger JSDF itself constitutes deterrence. In addition to steadily improving defense capabilities, we will enhance joint operations capabilities through rigorous training of highly capable units and the development of our personnel.

2. Strengthening the Japan–U.S. Alliance framework

The robust Japan–U.S. Alliance is the cornerstone of Japan’s security policy. Through close coordination with U.S. forces at all levels including operational and tactical–we will further enhance the effectiveness of our bilateral response capabilities.

3. Strengthening cooperation with like-minded countries

In addition to the United States, we will deepen cooperation with like-minded countries that share common values, including Australia. Through close communication among commanders and staff, we will further strengthen frameworks such as Japan–Australia and Japan–U.S.–Australia cooperation.

Jan 1

Wishing you a very happy New Year.

Wishing you a very happy New Year.

I sincerely wish you all the best in 2026.

On this occasion, I would like to express my deep appreciation for all your support and cooperation dedicated to the inauguration of the JSDF Joint Operations Command (JJOC) in March 2025.

Since its establishment, JJOC has been responding to various missions together with its subordinate commands while developing its operation capabilities as the Joint Operations Force.

JJOC will continue to commit itself to execute duties as one team to undertake the mandate given by the Japanese people under the banner of “ICHI-GEN-SAN-RYU” or all hearts with integrity.

May I kindly ask for your continued understanding and cooperation for activities of the Japan Ministry of Defense and the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

Nov 31

Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Joint Exercise 2025 (07JX)

Amid the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II, we remain steadfast in our mission to defend the lives of Japanese nationals and their peaceful livelihood.To fulfill this mission and enhance the effectiveness of joint operations, the JSDF Joint Operations Command (JJOC) was established on March 24, 2025. Our objectives are to respond seamlessly to developments in the security situation, establish a posture capable of executing cross-domain operations, and further strengthen cooperation with allies and like-minded nations across the Indo-Pacific region.

“By FY2027, five years after the formulation of the Strategy, Japan will strengthen its defense capability to the point where Japan is able to take primary responsibility for dealing with invasions against this nation, and disrupt and defeat such threats with the support of its ally and others.” This principle represents the core of the approach outlined in the National Defense Strategy. To realize this goal, the JJOC and our joint operations forces must continue to train tirelessly, without complacency, for improving proficiency in cross-domain operations that integrate capabilities across all domains - land, sea, air, space, cyber, and electromagnetic spectrum. At the same time, we will further reinforce cooperation and enhance interoperability with our allies and like-minded nations, including the United States and Australia. In line with these objectives, and under the direction of the Minister of Defense, we conducted the JSDF Joint Exercise 2025 (07JX).

The successful execution of 07JX attributes to the generous understanding and cooperation of all those concerned. Japan’s defense cannot be sustained by the JSDF alone - it is founded upon the enduring trust and support of the Japanese nationals. I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest appreciation for that support.

The JJOC will continue to devote its utmost efforts to meeting the expectations of Japanese nationals, and to resolutely defending the lives and peaceful livelihood of them.