The government is considering naming Lt. Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, vice chief of staff at the Joint Staff of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), as the first head of the Joint Operations Command, set to be established shortly, it has been learned.
The appointment is expected to be formalized by the Cabinet in March, government sources said Tuesday.
Nagumo, 59, joined the Air SDF after graduating from the National Defense Academy of Japan in 1989.
He assumed his current post in March 2023 after serving in positions including director-general of the Defense Planning and Policy Department at the ASDF's Air Staff Office and commander of the ASDF Western Air Defense Force.
The Joint Operations Command for the ASDF, the Ground SDF and the Maritime SDF will be launched on March 24 at the Defense Ministry's headquarters in Tokyo. It will be tasked to ensure smooth operations not only in the event of an emergency but also during peacetime as the security environment surrounding Japan is increasingly severe.
Its establishment was mentioned in the government's three key national security-related documents adopted in 2022.
With the Joint Operations Command required to keep in close communication with the SDF Joint Staff, the government believes that Nagumo, who has supported Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of staff at the Joint Staff, for about two years as his deputy, is the most appropriate person to assume the top post at the new SDF command.
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