Shigeru Iwasaki

Shigeru Iwasaki
Shigeru Iwasaki
	General Iwasaki in August 2012
Born	February 3, 1953 (age 71); Morioka, Japan
Allegiance	Japan
Service / branch	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Years of service	1975 - 2014
Rank	General
Commands	Chief of Staff, Joint Staff ; Chief of the Air Staff, JASDF ; Air Defense Command ; 2nd Air Wing ; 201st Tactical Fighter Squadron
Awards	Order of the Sacred Treasure (Grand Cordon) ; Legion of Merit, Commander’s Degree; Order of Australia

Shigeru Iwasaki (岩崎茂, Iwasaki Shigeru, born February 3, 1953) was the 4th Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. A four-star General from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Iwasaki was the highest-ranking military officer in Japan and ranked third in the overall chain of command (after the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense).^[1]^[2]^[3]

Career

Gen. Iwasaki with Gen. Nick Houghton exchanging gifts in 2014.

Iwasaki was born and raised in Iwate Prefecture and attended Morioka Third High School. He attended the National Defense Academy of Japan, graduating into the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 1975. He is trained to fly the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, Japan's primary jet fighter.^[4]

In August 1991, then-Lieutenant Colonel Iwasaki took command of the 201st Tactical Fighter Squadron. In December 1997, then-Colonel Iwasaki took command of the 7th Air Wing. In January 2001, then-Major General Iwasaki took command of the 2nd Air Wing.^[5]

In December 2010, General Iwasaki became the 31st Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. As Chief of Staff, he spearheaded the effort to procure the fifth generation Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.^[6]^[7]

In January 2012, General Iwasaki was promoted to be Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, becoming the highest-ranking official in the Japan Self-Defense Forces.^[8] He replaced GSDF General Ryuichi Ariki, and his Vice Chief of Staff was Kōichi Isobe. He has presided over a number of significant national security issues, including the renewed Senkaku Islands dispute and the possible revision of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution (following the Liberal Democratic Party's landslide electoral victory in December 2012).

In 2015 he was appointed an honorary Officer in the Military Division of the Order of Australia, for his role in enhancing defence engagement and practical co-operation between Australia and Japan.^[9]

Awards

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (1st class)
Legion of Merit (Commander)
- Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (Military Division)

Defensive memorial cordons

References

^ Japan plans joint forces commander under joint staff chief | The Japan Times
^ Shigeru Iwasaki
^ "A more muscular Japan". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
^ INTERVIEW: Japan's military chief says F-35 is ‘best fighter’ - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Archived 2013-07-21 at archive.today
^ Japan Defense Almanac 防衛年鑑（2010年版） ISBN 978-4938468316, 582頁
^ Japan's military chief says F-35 is best fighter | Reuters
^ Self Defense Forces chief says F-35′s are the best choice for Japan - The Japan Daily Press
^ Chief of Staff,JS | Japan JS Official Website Archived 2013-01-27 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Aust honour for Japanese defence general", News.com.au, 27 March 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2016

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Ryoichi Oriki	Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Japan Self-Defense Forces 2012-2014	Succeeded by Katsutoshi Kawano
Preceded by Kenichiro Hokazono	Chief of Staff Japan Air Self-Defense Force 2010-2012	Succeeded by Haruhiko Kataoka

[1] Japan plans joint forces commander under joint staff chief | The Japan Times

[2] Shigeru Iwasaki

[3] "A more muscular Japan". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.

[4] INTERVIEW: Japan's military chief says F-35 is ‘best fighter’ - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Archived 2013-07-21 at archive.today

[5] Japan Defense Almanac 防衛年鑑（2010年版） ISBN 978-4938468316, 582頁

[6] Japan's military chief says F-35 is best fighter | Reuters

[7] Self Defense Forces chief says F-35′s are the best choice for Japan - The Japan Daily Press

[8] Chief of Staff,JS | Japan JS Official Website Archived 2013-01-27 at the Wayback Machine

[9] "Aust honour for Japanese defence general", News.com.au, 27 March 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2016

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v t e Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Japan Self-Defense Forces
Chairmen, Joint Staff Council (1954-2006)	Hayashi Sugie Amano Muta Itaya Kinugasa Nakamura Shirakawa Sameshima Kurisu Takashina Takeda Yata Murai Watanabe Mori Ishii Terashima Sakuma Nishimoto Sugiyama Natsukawa Fujinawa Takegochi Ishikawa Masaki
Chiefs of Staff, Joint Staff (2006-)	Masaki Saito Oriki Iwasaki Kawano Yamazaki