History UsefulNotes / KaijuDefenseForce

* In ''VideoGame/WorldWar3'', the JSDF were to be implemented in ''Operation Sunstorm'' as new operator blueprints. In addition, the same DLC would also feature indigenous Japanese weapons and vehicles such as Type 89 assault rifle and Type 10 main battle tank, as well new maps set within war-torn Tokyo.

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' article for [[http://www.scpwiki.com/scp-4182 SCP-4182]] reveals that SCP-4182 is an island in Japan with an exclusion zone maintained by the JMSDF in cooperation with the Foundation.

* ''[[Manga/EightOhOneTTSAirbats 801 T.T.S. Airbats]]'' focuses on an all-female stunt flying squadron in the JASDF.

* One of the antagonist factions in ''{{Manga/Jormungand}}'' is the Special Research team, which is comprised of JGSDF personnel. They are "officially" under the control of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters, which is the Japanese signals intelligence agency, but at this point they're practically a law unto themselves.

* JASDF fighters are scrambled in the final episode of ''Anime/TerrorInResonance'' to [[spoiler:look for the nuclear bomb Nine has deployed with a hot air balloon over Tokyo. They don't find it in time and are forced to land before it detonates.]]

* The JSDF plays a major role in ''Manga/TheSilentService''. JMSDF vessels protect the submarine ''Yamato'' by shooting down Soviet and American antisubmarine missiles. MSDF Captain Fukamachi searches for ''Yamato'' in a diesel-electric submarine. [[spoiler: Later in the story, Prime Minister Takegami uniliterally cedes the JSDF to United Nations control.]]
* The JSDF starts playing a major role in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline's'' ''Project Alicization'' arc. It turns out Kikuoka and Nurse Aki are a Ground Self-Defense Force Lieutenant Colonel and Sergeant, respectively, and they are part of a project to develop AIs for warfighting use.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'', one of the teams participating in the first Squad Jam tournament is a JASDF base security force who are evaluating the Gun Gale Online game for its potential as a training tool. The light novel reveals they report directly to Lt. Colonel Kikuoka as part of his work in researching combat applications of VRMMO technologies.

* The JASDF takes center stage in ''LightNovel/GirlyAirForce'' being at the forefront of the war against the Zai.

* They appear at the end of the Mad Gear Arc in ''FanFic/TheNewestChallenger'' to arrest the remaining {{Mooks}}.

* The JMSDF and the JASDF heavily in Creator/TomClancy's ''Literature/DebtOfHonor'' where they unknowingly serve as TheDragon to China, ironically.
* In the ''Literature/AxisOfTime'' series of novels by John Birmingham, another JMSDF missile destroyer is among the multinational fleet from 2020 that ends up transported in time back to the Battle of Midway. Disgusted at not being trusted by the 1940's Americans, and reluctant to possibly kill their own grandparents, most of the crew elects to declare neutrality and become civilians in California, and the ship ends up fighting the Imperial Japanese Navy with a mostly-American crew. It's also the first ship the Midway fleet encounters while the crew are still recovering from the time-travel, initially making for quite an unfortunate misunderstanding between the two fleets.
* ''[[Literature/{{Gate}} Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There]]'' has the JSDF appear as protagonists, fighting a fantasy world horde emerging from a portal opening in Ginza. It turns out that modern weapons can easily annihilate an army equipped with medieval weapons, even if they have wyverns and orcs. Several months later, the JSDF counter invades through the gate and establishes a Forward Operating Base, kicking off the story proper.

According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, the JSDF's main policies are:

Despite the focus on "self-defense", the [=JSDF=] has participated in the second Iraq war and in UN Peacekeeping operations in Cambodia, East Timor, Mozambique and Golan Heights as the [=LDP=] leans more and more to the right and starts developing a tendency for historical revisionism... well, maybe. It is certainly true that the Japanese have been struggling over the use of the SDF in "peacekeeping" roles, as the laws governing "self-defense" never really went into being the third party. It should be noted that many of the restrictions on the [=JSDF=] are based on ''interpretation'' of what constitutes an offensive force or weapon, so in theory it would be easy for the government to change those interpretations. As of 2021, the Diet has approved new security legislation that passed, allowing the JSDF to participate in peacekeeping ops thare are not necessarily under the UN. For starters, two JGSDF officers have participated in the MFO as liaison officers and were allowed by Tokyo to be armed.

Japan clearly intends to become a major player in the global arms trade (a market Japanese arms makers had long been restricted from joining), starting with making its first appearance at the [[http://www.janes.com/article/52803/japanese-p-1s-to-visit-riat-djibouti-in-first-overseas-trip UK International Air Tattoo]] marketing its Kawasaki P-1 ASW (anti-submarine warfare) plane. In July 2015, the lower house of the Japanese parliament [[http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/07/16/world/asia/ap-as-japan-military.html?_r=0 approved legislation]] that would allow JSDF forces to engage in military operations outside of Japan for the first time since the second world war. Currently, however, they are facing difficulties due to their inexperience marketing outside of their domestic market, as well as the fact that many countries are hesitant to use weapons systems that have not been battle-tested in large-scale conflicts.

!!Ground Forces
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF), de facto successor to the Imperial Army, is today organized into a 150,000 strong army organized into 5 armies split into 8 divisions and 7 brigades (one amphibious). The independent Ground Component Command which reports to the Ground Staff is of division size and can command any of the armies mentioned when the need arises.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), earlier stated as successor to the heritage of the former Imperial Navy, is today organized as an estimated 51,000-strong navy with 126 vessels and 328 aircraft in the Fleet Air Force, plus 5 naval districts. Its surface fleet forces are partially organized into a modern form of the old IJN fleet formations, but with an aviation element(8 destroyers and 8 on-board helicopters). Unlike the old IJN, it does not have any marine unit.

Japan is currently looking for some new fighter jets. It ''wants'' [[RealLife/CoolPlane the F-22]] ultimately, (good luck with that, as the US has made it clear that ''nobody'' [[NoExportForYou gets F-22 exports]]) but is currently evaluating some of the 4.5 generation fighters and ultimately are buying a small number of F-35s. In light of the continued refusal of the US to allow F-22 exports, Japan decided to [[StartMyOwn make their own twin-engine 5th generation stealth fighter)]], with the experimental [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_X-2_Shinshin Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin]] as a testbed as well as collaborations with foreign companies.[[note]]Northrop Grumman is apparently considered a frontrunner to be Mitsubishi's design partner, leading to widespread speculation that the Japanese stealth fighter will be based on their own YF-23 Black Widow that narrowly lost the competition with the YF-22 for the US Air Force contract.[[/note]]

* The live-action adaptation of ''Rescue Wings'', which is also set at Komatsu, and featured plenty of cooperation from the JSDF.

* The Japanese Liberation Front, or JLF, in ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is the remains of this force. We see a few shots of the JSDF getting annihilated during the Brittanian invasion at the beginning of the series.

* The JASDF briefly appears in ''Film/IndependenceDay'', receiving the Americans' message advising of the upcoming global counterattack.

* ''Anime/PsychoPassSinnersOfTheSystem Case 2 - First Guardian'' deals heavily with the Japanese ''Defense'' Forces. Being set in 2112, the "Self" part of the name has been dropped, and it becomes clear why since the Japanese government actively sends soldiers and exports weapons abroad to fulfill national security objectives. The Status of Forces Agreement with the United States also looks to have been ended, as the air base that Sugou Teppei is based out of is Nago Base, which is explicitly stated to be the ''former'' Camp Schwab on Okinawa (in the present day, Camp Schwab is a U.S. Marine Corps base).

Despite the focus on "self-defense", the [=JSDF=] has participated in the second Iraq war and in UN Peacekeeping operations in Cambodia, East Timor, Mozambique and Golan Heights as the [=LDP=] leans more and more to the right and starts developing a tendency for historical revisionism... well, maybe. It is certainly true that the Japanese have been struggling over the use of the SDF in "peacekeeping" roles, as the laws governing "self-defense" never really went into being the third party. It should be noted that many of the restrictions on the [=JSDF=] are based on ''interpretation'' of what constitutes an offensive force or weapon, so in theory it would be easy for the government to change those interpretations.

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' article for [[http://www.scpwiki.com/scp-4182 SCP-4182]] reveals that SCP-4182 is an island in Japan with an exclusion zone maintained by the Foudnation, in cooperation with the JMSDF.

Much of these policies arose from the aftermath of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan, especially the rampant abuses and societal domination of the [[UsefulNotes/KatanasOfTheRisingSun Imperial Armed Forces]]. The nuclear weapon policy in particular is a reaction to the fact that Japan is the only nation to have ever been attacked with nuclear weapons. The [=JSDF=] is never officially referred to as a "military", "army", "air force", "navy", "{{sentai}}" or any other similar term.

* ''VideoGame/FrontMission 3'', set in [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2112]], features the JSDF rather prominently. They're quickly overshadowed by the {{Big Bad}}s, but when you face off against them, they're surprisingly competent. It's just the "JDF" by then. And they managed to steal a Weapon of Mass Destruction from a top-secret lab that was being guarded by a mecha expy of Delta Force (though to be fair, Barghest was distracted by over two hundred terrorist wanzers attacking them).

* ''Anime/PsychoPass: Sinners of the System Case 2 - First Guardian'' deals heavily with the Japanese ''Defense'' Forces. Being set in 2112, the "Self" part of the name has been dropped, and it becomes clear why since the Japanese government actively sends soldiers and exports weapons abroad to fulfill national security objectives. The Status of Forces Agreement with the United States also looks to have been ended, as the air base that Sugou Teppei is based out of is Nago Base, which is explicitly stated to be the ''former'' Camp Schwab on Okinawa (in the present day, Camp Schwab is a U.S. Marine Corps base).

* The JSDF starts playing a major role in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline's'' ''Project Alicization'' arc. It turns out Kikuoka and Nurse Aki turn out to be a Ground Self-Defense Force Lieutenant Colonel and Sergeant, respectively, and they are part of a project to develop AIs for warfighting use.

* The JSDF is one of new Asian factions introduced in ''VideoGame/WargameRedDragon'' for the NATO/BLUFOR side.

* ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Chaos Theory'' has Japan forming a new branch of the JSDF: the Information Self-Defense Forces. Their role is signal intelligence and electronic warfare, having the potential to remotely shutdown attacking forces, even to the point of disrupting their own national power grids. As this ''could'' potentially be used offensively to strike well outside of Japan's borders (while not actually leaving it) this falls into a grey area of the post-war constitutional restrictions. Predictably, this has the effect of raising international tensions in east Asia, particularly with China and both North and South Korea. It is this international scenario which kicks off the plot in typical Creator/TomClancy style. [[spoiler: Oh, and they're the Bad Guys.]]

Japan is currently looking for some new fighter jets. It ''wants'' [[RealLife/CoolPlane the F-22]] ultimately, (good luck with that, as the US has made it clear that ''nobody'' [[NoExportForYou gets F-22 exports]]) but is currently evaluating some of the 4.5 generation fighters and ultimately are buying a small number of F-35s. In light of the continued refusal of the US to allow F-22 exports, Japan decided to [[StartMyOwn make their own twin-engine 5th generation stealth fighter)]], with the experimental [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_X-2_Shinshin Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin]] as a testbed as well as collaborations with foreign companies.

The Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF), de facto successor to the Imperial Army, is today organized into a 150,000 strong army organized into 5 armies split into 8 divisions and 7 brigades (one amphibious). The independent Ground Component Command which reports to the Ground Staff is of division size.

** Central Readiness Regiment

** International Peace Cooperation Activities Training Unit

* ''VideoGame/SplinterCellChaosTheory'' has Japan forming a new branch of the JSDF: the Information Self-Defense Forces. Their role is signal intelligence and electronic warfare, having the potential to remotely shutdown attacking forces, even to the point of disrupting their own national power grids. As this ''could'' potentially be used offensively to strike well outside of Japan's borders (while not actually leaving it) this falls into a grey area of the post-war constitutional restrictions. Predictably, this has the effect of raising international tensions in east Asia, particularly with China and both North and South Korea. It is this international scenario which kicks off the plot in typical Creator/TomClancy style. [[spoiler: Oh, and they're the Bad Guys.]]

** 5th, 11, and 1st Artillery Brigades

** 13th, 14th, and 4th Engineer Brigades

** 11th and 1st Engineer Brigade

** 15th and 2nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade