The is a

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military ...

unit of the

Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, th ...

(JSDF) responsible for conducting

amphibious operations Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducte ...

. The ARDB is based at Camp Ainoura in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture.

History

In light of tensions over the

Senkaku Islands The are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan. They are located northeast of Taiwan, east of China, west of Okinawa Island, and north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands. They are known in main ...

and the decision for putting the

Chinese Coast Guard China Coast Guard (CCG; ) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the People's Armed Police of China. It is currently the world's largest coast guard. Function The CCG is known to perform mostly ...

under military control, Japan started the process of creating an elite marine unit. This brigade was designed to conduct amphibious operations and to recover any Japanese islands taken by an adversary. In 2006, Japan devised a plan to respond to this threat as outlined in the Defense Programs and Budget of Japan. Thus Japan prepared an amphibious force with the necessary know-how, acquired amphibious and other vehicles for such warfare. Prior to this, training was conducted with the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

such as "Iron Fist" and the integrated exercise "Dawn Blitz" in which the JSDF participated. In the Rim of the Pacific Exercise of 2014, the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

participated for the first time with amphibious warfare training between the U.S. Marine Corps and the GSDF for multilateral exercises. In Japan, joint exercises are also conducted by inviting the U.S. Marine Corps at JGSDF Camp Soumagahara (Gunma Prefecture) and training with the dispatch of GSDF members to the U.S. Marine Corps in

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest cit ...

. In 2016, 300 WAIR soldiers were sent to Camp Pendleton for marine training.Fuentes, Gidge
U.S. Marines Teach Japanese Forces How to Fight From the Sea in Expanded Iron Fist Exercise January 25, 2016
''USNI News'' Retrieved December 11, 2016 They were also trained to prepare for the ARDB's establishment. On March 27, 2018, groundwork for the creation of the ARDB was completed. On April 7, 2018, Japan activated its first marine unit since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

.Kubo, Nobuhir
Japan activates first marines since WW2 to bolster defenses against China
April 7, 2018. ''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...

''. Retrieved August 2, 2018 The marines of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF)'s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, gathered at a ceremony activating the brigade at JGSDF's Camp Ainoura in Sasebo. The Brigade is trained to counter invaders from occupying

Japanese islands The Japanese archipelago (Japanese: 日本列島, ''Nihon rettō'') is a group of 6,852 islands that form the country of Japan, as well as the Russian island of Sakhalin. It extends over from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East Chin ...

along the edge of the East China Sea that Tokyo considers vulnerable to attack. 150 ARDB soldiers were deployed for the first time in an overseas training exercise with

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and Filipino marines in Operation Kamandag in October 2018. This was the first time that Japanese armored vehicles were on foreign soil since WW2. The marine unit also dispatched 300 soldiers to participate in

Exercise Talisman Saber Exercise Talisman Sabre (also formerly spelled Talisman Saber, the US English alternative title) is a biennial, multinational military exercise led by Australia and the United States. Talisman Sabre involves joint exercises performed by the Austr ...

in July 2019, training in amphibious landings at

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

along with

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

soldiers and American and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

marines. The ARDB suffered its first casualty when a 38-year old JGSDF soldier, Suguru Maehara, with the rank of Sergeant 1st Class, was killed in a vehicular accident during joint exercises with US and Filipino troops on 7 October 2018. The vehicle he was riding in collided with another vehicle in Subic Bay. On March 10, 2021, 55 recruits passed the training course for the ARDB, including two women. The two women, Sergeants First Class Azusa Unno and Misaki Hirata, had participated in the unit's 16th training session.

Future

The ARDB was reported to be set to establish a third regiment, to be located at Kyushu by fiscal year 2023. These "regiments" are battalion size units.

Organization

The ARDB is composed of the following: * Brigade HQ * 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment (Location in Camp Ainoura) * 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment (Location in Camp Ainoura) * 3rd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment (being formed) * Artillery Battalion * Reconnaissance Battalion * Engineer Battalion * Combat Landing Battalion * Logistic Support Battalion * Signal Company * Amphibious Rapid Deployment Training Unit

Key executives

Equipment

Infantry weapons

ARDB forces are equipped with light infantry weapons, including: *

Carl Gustaf 8.4cm recoilless rifle The Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle (, named after '' Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori'' which initially produced it) is a Swedish developed caliber man-portable shoulder-fired recoilless rifle, initially developed by the Royal Swedish ...

Middle range Multi-Purpose missile The or is an Anti-tank/ Landing craft missile used by the Japanese army as JGSDF. Description Chū-MPM is smaller scale and much less expensive than the Type 96 MPMS. As such, it is deployed in greater numbers. The system controls are cont ...

Hirtenberger M6C-210 The Hirtenberger M6C-210 is a light mortar with smoothbore barrel, part of the M6 mortar range designed by Hirtenberger Defense Systems of Austria. This mortar is equipped with two aiming devices and is characterized by high mobility, which shou ...

Light mortar *

L16 81mm mortar The L16 81mm mortar is a British standard mortar used by the Canadian Army, British Army, and many other armed forces. It originated as a joint design by the UK and Canada. The version produced and used by Australia is named the F2 81mm Mortar, w ...

Medium mortar * M120 RT Heavy mortar * Minimi 5.56mm Light Machine guns * MAG 7.62mm Machine guns *

Howa Type 20 The , referred to as the , is an assault rifle developed for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force by Howa. The first examples were purchased in 2019, and it is intended to eventually replace the Howa Type 89 in general service. Development In Aug ...

Assault rifles * Howa Type 89 Assault rifles *

M24 SWS The M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS) or M24 is the military and police version of the Remington Model 700 rifle, ''M24'' being the model name assigned by the United States Army after adoption as their standard sniper rifle in 1988. The M24 is refe ...

Sniper Rifles *

Minebea PM-9 The Minebea PM-9 Submachine Gun, known officially in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) as the or as the M9, is a Japanese-made machine pistol. Analogous to the Israeli IMI Mini-Uzi, it has the same telescoping bolt as the Mini-Uzi, but diffe ...

Machine pistol

Vehicles

The ARDB is also equipped with US and Japanese-made military vehicles and aircraft such as: *

Assault Amphibious Vehicle The Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV)—official designation AAVP-7A1 (formerly known as Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Personnel-7 abbr. LVTP-7)—is a fully tracked amphibious landing vehicle manufactured by U.S. Combat Systems (previously by Unit ...

AAV7A1 RAM/RS *

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventio ...

MV-22B

Tiltrotor A tiltrotor is an aircraft which generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called ''proprotors'') mounted on rotating shafts or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing. Almost all tiltrotors use a trans ...

aircraft * Combat Rubber Raiding Craft *

Komatsu LAV The is a Japanese military vehicle first produced in 2002. Currently used exclusively by the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF), it has seen use in the Iraq War. It is built by Komatsu Ltd. Defense Systems Division in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan. Koma ...

Mitsubishi Type 73 Light Truck The is a series of military light trucks that are used as mini SUVs in the JSDF. They have been under production by Mitsubishi Motors since 1973. In JSDF service, it is officially known as the 1/2 Ton Truck.This JSDF name designation is used onl ...

Toyota Type 73 Medium Truck The Type 73 Medium Truck is an all-terrain four-wheel drive (4x4) truck of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force known as the 1 1/2 Ton Truck. History This truck replaced various types of previous light and medium trucks in service with the Jap ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{Japan Self-Defense Forces Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Brigade Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Amphibious landing brigades Military units and formations established in 2018 2018 establishments in Japan