Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
| Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | |
|---|---|
| 陸上自衛隊 (Japanese) | |
Emblem of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | |
| Founded | 1 July 1954 |
| Country | Japan |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Size | 150,700 active personnel (2023) 56,000 reserve personnel (2023) |
| Part of | Japan Self-Defense Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Colours | Red, White and Gold |
| March | "Battōtai" (抜刀隊) ⓘ |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi |
| Minister of Defense | Shinjirō Koizumi |
| Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | General Hiroaki Uchikura |
| Chief of Staff, Ground Self-Defense Force | General Masayoshi Arai |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | |
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Japanese: 陸上自衛隊, Hepburn: Rikujō Jieitai), JGSDF (陸自, Rikuji), also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service branches.
New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct the Self-Defense Forces away from their Cold War focus on the Soviet Union to a new focus on China, especially in respect of the dispute over the Senkaku Islands.
The JGSDF operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo. The present chief of staff is General Yasunori Morishita. The JGSDF numbered 247,000 soldiers in 2025.