Chief of Staff, Joint Staff

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Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
統合幕僚長
Standard of the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
Incumbent General Yoshihide Yoshida since 30 March 2023
Japan Self-Defense Forces
Member of	Joint Staff Defense Council
Reports to	Minister of Defense
Seat	Ministry of Defense Headquarters, Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
Appointer	Minister of Defense Subject to formal approval by the Cabinet
Term length	Mandatory Retirement Age at 62
Precursor	Chairman of the Joint Staff Council
Formation	1 July 1954
First holder	General Keizō Hayashi (as Chairman of the Joint Staff Council) General Hajime Massaki (as Chief of Staff, Joint Staff)
Deputy	Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff
Website	[1]

The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff (Japanese: 統合幕僚長, Hepburn: Tōgō Bakuryō-chō), formerly known as the Chairman of the Joint Staff Council from 1954 to 2006, is the highest-ranking military officer and head of the overall Operational Authority (command) over the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and its three service branches: the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff is primarily held by rank of a four-star rank of General or Admiral, the highest rank in the Japan Self-Defense Force. The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff is selected from among the Chief of Staff, Ground Self-Defense Force, Chief of Staff, Maritime Self-Defense Force and Chief of Staff, Air Self-Defense Force on a rotational basis.

The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff oversees and synchronizes all JSDF services and commands in self defense, including three branches' Major Commands, the Chief of the Ground Staff, the Chief of the Maritime Staff, and the Chief of Staff, Air Self-Defense Force. The Chief of Staff, Joint Staff also assists the Minister of Defense on all matters of the JSDF, as well as national security and defense matters, such as defense postures, strategies, and military operations within the country and executes orders of the Minister of Defense with directions from the Prime Minister, who serves as the Commander-in-chief of the JSDF.^[1][2]