【Text by Observer Net, Mountain Cat】
On the 80th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender, the Self-Defense Forces, once known as "exclusive defense," are about to take another big step towards "militarization." At around 21:00 local time (20:00 Beijing time) on November 12, "Sankei Shimbun" published an exclusive report stating that the Japanese government is considering changing the rank titles of the Self-Defense Forces, with the stated purpose of "aligning with foreign armies."
The report said that on the same day, several sources revealed that the Japanese government has begun to consider revising the rank titles of the Self-Defense Forces. Established during the post-war "re-armament," the Japanese Self-Defense Forces used a set of rank titles different from those of the old Japanese Imperial Army to "dilute the military connotation," such as replacing "Taisho" (equivalent to colonel in foreign armies), "Chusho" (lieutenant colonel), and "Shosho" (major) with "1-sho," "2-sho," and "3-sho" (further specific to the branch, for example, "1-sho" in the Air Self-Defense Force is called "1-tai ku-sho"). However, when translating foreign military ranks, they still used a method similar to the old Japanese Imperial Army ranks, such as translating the general rank of the U.S. commander in Japan into "General [Name] of the U.S. Forces in Japan." Therefore, the report states that adopting rank names consistent with other countries can help improve "public understanding of the Self-Defense Forces," "enhance the status and morale of Self-Defense Forces personnel," and the government plans to revise the "Self-Defense Forces Law" by the fiscal year 2026 (April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027).
In the joint ruling agreement signed between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party in October this year, it includes the content of "changing the rank names by the fiscal year 2026." The reason given is that in the context of "the worsening environment around Japan," it is necessary to change the previous practice of "unnecessarily avoiding military terminology" and clearly strengthen the position of the Self-Defense Forces as a national defense organization.
According to the current provisions of the "Self-Defense Forces Law," the Self-Defense Forces have a total of 17 ranks, ranging from the highest "Sho" to the lowest "2-shi." These include "Sho" (exclusive to five people: the Chief of the Joint Staff, the Chief of the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces, equivalent to a general), "Sho" (equivalent to a lieutenant general), "Sho-ho" (equivalent to a major general), "1-sho" (equivalent to a colonel), "2-sho" (equivalent to a lieutenant colonel), "3-sho" (equivalent to a major), "1-ki" (equivalent to a captain), "2-ki" (equivalent to a first lieutenant), "3-ki" (equivalent to a second lieutenant), "Jyui" (warrant officer), "Sosho" (sergeant major), "1-sou" (sergeant), "2-sou" (corporal), "3-sou" (private first class), "Shichou" (staff sergeant), "1-shi" (corporal), and "2-shi" (private). After the adjustment, these rank titles will be changed to more similar to the old Japanese Imperial Army's "Dai/Chu/Sho Sho" (general, lieutenant general, major general), "Dai/Chu/Sho Sho" (colonel, lieutenant colonel, major), "Dai/Chu/Sho Ki" (captain, first lieutenant, second lieutenant), with "Sosho" being changed to "Joukyu Sosho," "1-sou," "2-sou," and "3-sou" becoming "Sosho," "Gunso," and "Buchou," while "Shichou" and "1-shi," "2-shi" will be changed to "Joutenpei," "I-taihei," and "Ni-taihei." Only the rank of "Jyui" remains unchanged. The report states that the problem with this system is that the corresponding English translations are basically the same as those of foreign armies, but in Japanese expressions, there has been a long-standing difference, so the Japanese public often finds it difficult to distinguish the hierarchy, especially in the case of U.S.-Japan joint exercises and operations.
Diagram showing the changes in the Self-Defense Forces' ranks, Sankei Shimbun
Aside from the "militarization" of the Self-Defense Forces' rank titles, the ruling agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party also includes another policy: changing the current "shikyoku" (occupational categories) of the Self-Defense Forces to "heishu" (military branches) consistent with other legitimate armies abroad. For example, general combat personnel will be renamed "Kotaike" (infantry), units operating artillery will be renamed "Houheishu" (artillery), and units responsible for engineering will be renamed "Koushikuheishu" (engineers).
(Photo Gallery) In war films, you often see the "M" symbol on the chest pocket of the Japanese army's 98-style uniform, which is a color-coded branch identification symbol
(Photo Gallery) The different colored branch symbols of the old Japanese Imperial Army represent different military branches
However, the report also noted that there are still voices within the Ministry of Defense opposing the change, citing the argument that "the current names are the result of long-term fixed usage." Japanese Cabinet Secretary Kiwamu Kihara confirmed at today's press conference that, based on the joint ruling agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, the Japanese government announced that it will study the change of the rank names of the Self-Defense Forces personnel. He also stated that although it is currently not possible to answer questions about the specific content, it will "drive with a sense of urgency" and work with the ruling party to advance the relevant research.
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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572199572253033001/
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