Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, the first commander of Japan’s Joint Operations Command, reviews troops ahead of the activation ceremony at Camp Ichigaya in central Tokyo, March 24, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
TOKYO — Japan on Monday activated a new military command that will take operational control of all three of its armed forces, as the country bolsters its defense posture amid rising regional tensions.
Joint Operations Command will oversee Japan’s Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces in peacetime and in the event of a conflict. The organization, headquartered at Camp Ichigaya in central Tokyo, has an initial staff of around 240 personnel, according to the Ministry of Defense.
The command’s launch comes as Japan sets new records for military spending in response to an increasingly challenging security environment.
“Japan is facing the most severe and complex security environment since the end of the Second World War, and expectations of the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces are becoming ever higher,” Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told those gathered for the command’s activation ceremony at Ichigaya.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani passes the new Joint Operations Command flag to Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo during an activation ceremony at Camp Ichigaya in central Tokyo, March 24, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
North Korea, which has deployed troops to assist Russia in Ukraine, continues to advance its nuclear and missile technology. Meanwhile, China is rapidly expanding its military capabilities and has vowed to take control of Taiwan — by force, if necessary. Beijing also claims Tokyo-administered islands in the East China Sea.
“Our world is changing rapidly every day, [and] I believe that it is more dangerous than ever,” the commander of U.S. Forces Japan, Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, said during the activation ceremony.
Effectively commanding joint forces in modern warfare is a difficult challenge, Jost said, adding that a well-trained and coordinated force is more efficient, agile, resilient, survivable and lethal.
Japan’s new command was initially expected to work closely with a U.S. joint force headquarters in the country, but the future of that plan is unclear.
A Pentagon briefing document cited by CNN last week proposes canceling the planned USFJ restructuring as part of a broader effort to consolidate four global commands and save $330 million over five years. The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have raised objections to the plan.
The head of U.S. Forces Japan, Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, speaks during the Joint Operations Command activation ceremony at Camp Ichigaya in central Tokyo, March 24, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
Australia’s Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Adm. Justin Jones, also attended Monday’s ceremony and highlighted growing military ties between Tokyo and Canberra. A Japanese liaison officer has been assigned to Australia’s joint operations command since November, he said, and Australia will reciprocate by sending an officer to Japan’s new command later this year.
The two countries signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement in 2022, streamlining the process for their forces to operate in each other’s territories.
The joint command’s first leader, Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, pledged at the ceremony that the new unit would protect the Japanese people and the country’s land, waters and airspace.
“We will respond seamlessly and appropriately to situations during peacetime and in emergencies,” he said.
Japan activates its Joint Operations Command at Camp Ichigaya in central Tokyo, March 24, 2025. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
