The officer will oversee the operations of Japan’s Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defence Forces, and closely communicate with his US counterpart.
To create the new system and position, the government must first amend the Self-Defence Forces Act. The policy will be clearly stated in three security-related documents to be revised at the end of this year.
Once the amendments are made, Japan intends to establish a rapid-response system by 2027, when some experts fear China could grow eager to invade Taiwan.
Currently, the Joint Staff Office of the SDF commands all three forces and is overseen by the chief of staff, the sole person in charge of communication with the prime minister and US military. But the chief of staff has additional duties, especially in regard to ensuring orders are carried out.
This reorganisation is meant to ease the chief of staff’s workload by creating a new command position under him, with this officer overseeing the operations of all three forces. The officer will also coordinate moves between the SDF and US forces in emergencies.
In the aftermath of the March 11, 2011, earthquake, tsunami and meltdowns in northeastern Japan, it became clear that the chief of staff could not spare enough time to effectively command the nation’s forces in their disaster relief mission. This was because the chief of staff was busy reporting to the Cabinet Office and communicating with the US military.
If a crisis occurs in the Taiwan Strait, many political decisions will be made in regard to the SDF. The chief of staff would be required to primarily focus on supporting the prime minister and defence minister.
Awareness that a new system is needed has been growing for some time now.
The new system will put an integrated commanding officer with the authority to command forces under the chief of staff. This officer will report directly to the defence minister. The commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command will likely be his US counterpart.
The US is focusing on “integrated deterrence” to protect Asia, a reference to cooperating with Japan, South Korea and other allies. Japan and the US lack a Combined Forces Command like the US has with South Korea, but Japan sees an increasing need to strengthen its cooperation with the US military now that the ground under East Asian security is undulating.