Japan Self-Defense Forces



"The Japan Self-Defense Forces were there to prevent the Senkaku Islands from being taken over by China. Couldn't believe this? This could've started World War III very soon, right?"

--Su Ji-Hoon, Senkaku

The Japan Self-Defense Forces (自衛隊 Jieitai), or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF, JDF, or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan (later South Japan) that were established in 1954, and are controlled by the Ministry of Defense. In recent years they have been engaged in international peacekeeping operations including UN peacekeeping. Recent tensions, particularly with North Korea, have reignited the debate over the status of the JSDF and its relation to Japanese society. New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, will direct the JSDF away from its Cold War focus on the former Soviet Union to a focus on China, especially regarding the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, while increasing cooperation with the United States, South Korea, Australia and India.