U.S. Central Command: 37 Ships Involved in Sealing Off Iran's Maritime Access

¬ Japan Plans to Revise Self-Defense Forces Rank Titles — First Major Adjustment Since 1954

+

The U.S. Pentagon's Central Command claims that, as part of the maritime blockade operation against Iran, the U.S. military has deployed 37 ships.

Central Command announced on social media platform X: "Since the blockade began, 37 ships have been redeployed (to the relevant area)."

The United States and Israel launched strikes against targets inside Iran on February 28, an aggression that has caused over 3,000 deaths. On April 8, the U.S. announced a halt to attacks to allow negotiations with Tehran. President Trump stated that the maritime blockade would continue until an agreement is reached.

On April 13, the U.S. Navy began imposing a blockade on all sea traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas are transported. The U.S. government said vessels unrelated to Iran may freely pass through the Strait if they do not pay fees to the Iranian government.

+

According to a report by Yomiuri Shimbun, the Japanese government plans to revise the rank titles of the Self-Defense Forces to align with international military systems—a move representing the first major overhaul of rank terminology since the establishment of the Self-Defense Forces in 1954.

The report notes that due to the long-standing rule stating the "Self-Defense Forces are not a military," Japan has historically used rank titles different from those used by other countries. This adjustment is seen as a significant turning point.

Multiple government sources revealed that Japan intends to submit draft revisions to the Self-Defense Forces Act and related legislation to Parliament this year, including renaming the highest commanders of the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces from "Chief of Staff" to "Taishō" (equivalent to a full general), upgrading other generals to "Chūshō" (lieutenant general), and changing "I-sa" to "Dai-sa" (colonel), adopting terminology consistent with international military standards.

The reform primarily targets officers above the rank of "Junki" (warrant officer), such as changing "Shōhō" to "Shōshō" (brigadier general), "Ni-sa" to "Chūsa" (major), "San-sa" to "Shōsa" (captain), and "I-i" to "Dai-i" (first lieutenant).

Titles for "Cho" (sergeant) and "Shi" (private) will remain unchanged.

It is reported that in last year’s joint governance agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, it was explicitly stated that the standardization of Self-Defense Forces rank systems according to international norms would be completed by fiscal year 2026. While discussions were held within the ruling coalition about renaming "Pōkō" to "Heki-kō" (infantry) and "Mokuryō" to "Sōsō" (staff), concerns over widespread use of current terms led to a decision to delay such changes for now.

For years, the LDP has vigorously pushed for amendments to Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution. In 2005, the party passed a new constitutional draft aiming to elevate the "Self-Defense Forces" to the status of "Self-Defense Military"; in 2012, another draft proposed establishing a "National Defense Force" under the Prime Minister as supreme commander. Recently, Prime Minister and LDP President Takayama Sanae openly declared at an LDP convention that she hopes to make progress on constitutional amendment proposals at next year’s party convention, emphasizing that "constitutional revision is more important than ever."

In response to Japan’s plan to revise Self-Defense Forces rank names—reviving old Imperial Japanese military designations such as "Dai-sa"—China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that right-wing forces in Japan are aggressively attempting to break free from the constraints of the peace constitution, advancing further down the path of military expansion. The militaristic aggression initiated by Japanese imperialism brought profound disasters to Asia and the world. Forgetful of war leads to peril; fondness for war leads to destruction. The lessons of history must not be forgotten, distorted, or erased. We absolutely will not allow the revival of Japanese militarism, nor will we tolerate any attempt to challenge the post-war international order, nor will we permit the world’s peace and stability to be disrupted again.

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863492297247752/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.