Central Readiness Force
Encyclopedia
The was recently established on March 28, 2007, following the upgrading of the Japanese Defense Ministry from the former Japanese Defense Agency. Based in Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces
(JGSDF) Camp Asaka in Nerima
, Tokyo
, the unit has the capability of responding to any situation in either Japanese or foreign soil. The unit can also be Japan's response to any combat operations in further peacekeeping missions as a rapid reaction force as a part of the Japanese government's National Defense Program Guidelines over the need to improve the JGSDF's capabilities to deal with new defense issues such as foreign peacekeeping operations and anti-terrorist operations.
The CRF had a formal ceremony in the same base on March 31, 2007. Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma
was the guest of honour in formally inaugurating the force. Lieutenant General
Josho Yamaguchi is the first CRF commanding officer. The current commander of the CRF is Lt. Gen. Mamoru Fujisaki.
Formed on March 28, 2007, the CRF has consolidated the 1st Airborne Brigade
, the 1st Helicopter Brigade
, the Japanese Special Operations Group and the 101st NBC Protection Unit into a single force meant to conduct operations in domestic and foreign soil. On March 31, 2007, the Central Readiness Force had held its formal ceremony at the JGSDF's Camp Asaka in Nerima, Tokyo
, which included guests such as Fumio Kyuma
and Josho Yamaguchi, the former presiding over the formal establishment of the CRF.
The CRF went to be deployed in its first civil disaster mission to quell wildfire
s in the forests of the Yamanashi Prefecture
on April 29, 2007 with the 1st Helicopter Brigade
being deployed after its integration to the force. The CRF had conducted a military exercise on October 31, 2007 with its subordinate units participating in a wider range of scenarios from anti-NBC cleanup to personnel transportation and evacuation.
6 officers from the CRF were deployed to Nepal as part of the UNMIS mission
on March 30, 2007 as part of their first CRF peacekeeping mission. A CRF officer deployed to Nepal
as part of the UNMIN
was awarded by UN peacekeeping officers for completing his duties to monitor the ceasefire between the Nepalese government and Maoist rebels. The officers had returned on March 18, 2008. 4 CRF officers under the UNDOF's transport unit were deployed to France as Japanese representatives on July 14, 2008 for its annual Bastille Day Military Parade
celebration. The CRF was deployed to assist in the aftermath of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
in humanitarian relief efforts, as well as to combat radiation problems at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The insignia symbolizes the CRF's mandate to operate in Japan
ese soil.
The patch symbolizes the CRF's mandate to operate in foreign territory as a representative of Japan
in Peacekeeping
missions.
and the United States
, the Central Readiness Force's headquarters will eventually be transferred out to Camp Zama
by the year 2012. This would be done for the US military and the JSDF to operate with improved interoperability.
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
(JGSDF) Camp Asaka in Nerima
Nerima, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nerima City.As of August 1, 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 703,005 , and a density of 14,443 persons per km². 12,897 foreign residents are registered in the ward. 18.4% of the ward's population is over the...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, the unit has the capability of responding to any situation in either Japanese or foreign soil. The unit can also be Japan's response to any combat operations in further peacekeeping missions as a rapid reaction force as a part of the Japanese government's National Defense Program Guidelines over the need to improve the JGSDF's capabilities to deal with new defense issues such as foreign peacekeeping operations and anti-terrorist operations.
The CRF had a formal ceremony in the same base on March 31, 2007. Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma
Fumio Kyuma
is a Japanese politician who has served in the Diet of Japan since 1980. Kyuma graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1964 and worked for the Ministry of Agriculture...
was the guest of honour in formally inaugurating the force. Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Josho Yamaguchi is the first CRF commanding officer. The current commander of the CRF is Lt. Gen. Mamoru Fujisaki.
History
1st Airborne Brigade (Japan)
The , also known as the Narashino Airborne Brigade , is stationed in the Narashino Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Base in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. It is part of the Eastern Army in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force...
, the 1st Helicopter Brigade
1st Helicopter Brigade
The is based at the JGSDF Camp Kisarazu in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture. Formerly an independent brigade, it was attached on the Central Readiness Force on March 28, 2007...
, the Japanese Special Operations Group and the 101st NBC Protection Unit into a single force meant to conduct operations in domestic and foreign soil. On March 31, 2007, the Central Readiness Force had held its formal ceremony at the JGSDF's Camp Asaka in Nerima, Tokyo
Nerima, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nerima City.As of August 1, 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 703,005 , and a density of 14,443 persons per km². 12,897 foreign residents are registered in the ward. 18.4% of the ward's population is over the...
, which included guests such as Fumio Kyuma
Fumio Kyuma
is a Japanese politician who has served in the Diet of Japan since 1980. Kyuma graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1964 and worked for the Ministry of Agriculture...
and Josho Yamaguchi, the former presiding over the formal establishment of the CRF.
The CRF went to be deployed in its first civil disaster mission to quell wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s in the forests of the Yamanashi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
on April 29, 2007 with the 1st Helicopter Brigade
1st Helicopter Brigade
The is based at the JGSDF Camp Kisarazu in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture. Formerly an independent brigade, it was attached on the Central Readiness Force on March 28, 2007...
being deployed after its integration to the force. The CRF had conducted a military exercise on October 31, 2007 with its subordinate units participating in a wider range of scenarios from anti-NBC cleanup to personnel transportation and evacuation.
6 officers from the CRF were deployed to Nepal as part of the UNMIS mission
United Nations Mission in Nepal
Following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on 21 November 2006 between the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal at the end of the Nepalese Civil War, the United Nations received a request for assistance, and established the political mission United Nations Mission in Nepal ...
on March 30, 2007 as part of their first CRF peacekeeping mission. A CRF officer deployed to Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
as part of the UNMIN
United Nations Mission in Nepal
Following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on 21 November 2006 between the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal at the end of the Nepalese Civil War, the United Nations received a request for assistance, and established the political mission United Nations Mission in Nepal ...
was awarded by UN peacekeeping officers for completing his duties to monitor the ceasefire between the Nepalese government and Maoist rebels. The officers had returned on March 18, 2008. 4 CRF officers under the UNDOF's transport unit were deployed to France as Japanese representatives on July 14, 2008 for its annual Bastille Day Military Parade
Bastille Day Military Parade
The Bastille Day Military Parade is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of 14 July each year in Paris since 1880, almost without exception....
celebration. The CRF was deployed to assist in the aftermath of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
in humanitarian relief efforts, as well as to combat radiation problems at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
List of Commanders
| Name (English) | Name (Japanese) | Year of appointment | Previous position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josho Yamaguchi | 山口 淨秀 (Yamaguchi Josho) | March 28, 2007 | Western Army Chief of Staff |
List of Vice Commanding General for Domestic Operations
| Name (English) | Name (Japanese) | Year of appointment | Previous position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toshiaki Tanaka | 田中 敏明 (Tanaka Toshiaki) | March 28, 2007 | Northern Army Vice Chief of Staff |
List of Vice Commandindg General for International Operations
| Name (English) | Name (Japanese) | Year of appointment | Previous position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kouichi Isobe | 磯部 晃一 (Isobe Kouichi) | March 28, 2007 | Eastern Army Vice Chief of Staff |
List of Chiefs of Staff
| Name (English) | Name (Japanese) | Year of appointment | Previous position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kizuku Fukuda | 福田 築 (Fukuda Kizuku) | March 28, 2007 | Eastern Army Commanding Officer, Defense Plans & Operations Department |
List of Vice Chiefs of Staff
| Name (English) | Name (Japanese) | Year of appointment | Previous position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toshihiro Honjyo Hirofumi Takizawa |
本庄 俊弘 (Honjyo Toshihiro) 滝澤 博文 (Takizawa Hirofumi) |
March 28, 2007 | Eastern Army Commanding Officer, Defense Plans & Operations Department |
Structure
The structure of the CRF has been created with the following established for its headquarters:Chain of command
- Commander (Lieutenant General)
- Deputy Commander for Domestic Operations (Major General)
- Deputy Commander for International Operations (Major General)
- Chief of Staff (Colonel)
- Vice Chief of Staff (2 officers with rank of Colonel)
Divisions
- Personnel
- Intelligence
- Defense Plans & Operations
- Logistics
- Administration
- Accounting
- Communications
- National Welfare
Personnel
- Reporting Officer
- Army Surgeon
- Inspector
- Law Officer
- Staff Manager
- Adjutant
Formation
The following is the current formation of the CRF as 2011.- Headquarters - Camp Asaka, Nerima, TokyoNerima, Tokyois one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nerima City.As of August 1, 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 703,005 , and a density of 14,443 persons per km². 12,897 foreign residents are registered in the ward. 18.4% of the ward's population is over the...
with 230 personnel- 1st Airborne Brigade1st Airborne Brigade (Japan)The , also known as the Narashino Airborne Brigade , is stationed in the Narashino Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces Base in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. It is part of the Eastern Army in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force...
- Camp Narashino, Narashino, ChibaNarashino, Chibais a city located in northern Chiba, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,809 and a population density of 7850 persons per km². The total area was 20.99 km².-Geography:...
with 1,900 personnel - Central Readiness Force Regiment - Camp Utsunomiya, Utsunomiya, TochigiUtsunomiya, Tochigiis the capital and most populous city of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. In October 2010 the city had an estimated population of 510,416 and a population density of 1,224.49 people per square kilometer. The total area is 416.84 km². had a population of 888,005 in the 2000 Census...
with 700 personal - Japanese Special Forces Group - Camp Narashino, Narashino, ChibaNarashino, Chibais a city located in northern Chiba, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 164,809 and a population density of 7850 persons per km². The total area was 20.99 km².-Geography:...
with 300 personnel - 1st Helicopter Brigade1st Helicopter BrigadeThe is based at the JGSDF Camp Kisarazu in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture. Formerly an independent brigade, it was attached on the Central Readiness Force on March 28, 2007...
- Camp Kisarazu, Kisarazu, ChibaKisarazu, Chibais a city located in Chiba, Japan. As of September 2010, Kisarazu has an estimated population of 126,906 and a density of 915 persons per km². The total area was 138.73 km²....
with 900 personnel - Central NBC Weapon Defense Unit - Camp Ōmiya, Ōmiya-ku, SaitamaOmiya-ku, Saitamais a ward of Saitama city, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is in the Greater Tokyo Area and about 25 km north of central Tokyo. Ōmiya-ku is surrounded by Nishi-ku , Kita-ku , Minuma-ku , Urawa-ku , Chūō-ku , and Sakura-ku of Saitama city.Ōmiya-ku is the most active commercial and business centre in...
with 155 personnel - NBC Countermeasure Medical Unit - Camp Asaka, Asaka, SaitamaAsaka, Saitamais a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It was named in 1932 after Prince Asaka who was an honorary chairman of the Tokyo Golf Club, which relocated to the area at that time. Asaka town became a city on March 15, 1967....
with 70 personnel - International Peace Cooperation Activities Training UnitInternational Peace Cooperation Activities Training UnitThe is the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces's training unit to prepare JGSDF soldiers by training them in scenarios that would require the mobilization of JGSDF forces in in other countries...
- Camp Komakado, Gotemba, Shizuoka with 80 personnel
- 1st Airborne Brigade
CRF insignia
- JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese ArchipelagoArchipelagoAn archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
and RedRedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
CircleCircleA circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....
surrounding it - CRF's mandate to operate in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese soil.
- LaurelLaurel wreathA laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
- Hope for a successful mission.
- PurplePurplePurple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
ShadowShadowA shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the...
- CRF's joint cooperation with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense ForcesJapan Ground Self-Defense ForceThe , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense ForcesJapan Maritime Self-Defense ForceThe , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....
and the Japanese Air Self-Defense ForcesJapan Air Self-Defense ForceThe , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems...
.
The insignia symbolizes the CRF's mandate to operate in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese soil.
CRF patch
- GlobeGlobeA globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
- CRF's mandate to operate anywhere around the world.
- Cherry Blossoms - CRF's commanding officer.
- RedRedRed is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
CircleCircleA circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....
- JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The patch symbolizes the CRF's mandate to operate in foreign territory as a representative of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
missions.
Future plan
Under future plans to unify cooperation between JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Central Readiness Force's headquarters will eventually be transferred out to Camp Zama
Camp Zama
is a United States Army post located in the cities of Zama and Sagamihara, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about southwest of Tokyo.Camp Zama is home to the U.S. Army Japan /I Corps , the U.S. Army Japan Aviation Detachment "Ninjas" , the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, the Japan Engineer...
by the year 2012. This would be done for the US military and the JSDF to operate with improved interoperability.