was the 32nd Chief of Staff of the

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The , , 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 branches. New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct ...

, the '' de facto''

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He was promoted to four-star

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and assumed the position on August 5, 2011.

Career

Kimizuka was born and raised in

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

. He attended the

National Defense Academy of Japan , abbreviated is the national, four-year university-level service academy aimed to educate and train students who will be serving as officers in the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It is located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. History ...

, graduating in 1976 into the Ground Self-Defense Force. Kimizuka was initially trained in

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

, and served in a number of artillery command roles at the company-grade and field-grade levels. Throughout his career, he has attended a number of military schools including Japanese Ranger School, Japanese Airborne School, and the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

.Japan Defense Almanac (防衛年鑑) (2010年版・543頁) Promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1995, Kimizuka served as the commander of the 10th Artillery Regiment at JGSDF Camp Toyokawa. In 1999, he became chief of Defense Planning Division, Ground Staff Office. Promoted to major general in 2001, Kimizuka served as the vice chief of staff, Western Army in

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture t ...

. In 2003, he became commander of the 1st Combined Brigade at JGSDF Camp Naha. In 2006, he became chief of staff of the Central Army at JGSDF Camp Itami. Promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in 2007, Kimizuka served as the commander of the 8th Division. Later, in 2009, he became the commander of the North Eastern Army, headquartered in

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

. After the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...

, Kimizuka led Joint Task Force - Tohoku, a massive 100,000-soldier relief effort coordinated with American forces in

Operation Tomodachi was a United States Armed Forces (especially United States Forces Japan, U.S. Forces Japan) assistance operation to support Japan in Emergency management, disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The operation took pl ...

. He died on December 28, 2015, of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

Awards

- Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star (2nd class) (2015) * Us legion of merit officer rib

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, Officer’s Degree (2008) * Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

- Meritorious Service Medal

Defensive memorial cordon

Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 02

2nd Defensive Memorial Cordon with 1 gold Cherry Blossom * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 10

10th Defensive Memorial Cordon * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 11

11th Defensive Memorial Cordon with 1 Silver Cherry Blossom * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 15

15th Defensive Memorial Cordon with 1 silver cherry blossom * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 19

19th Defensive Memorial Cordon * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 20

20 Defensive Memorial Cordon with 1 silver Cherry Blossom * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 21

21st Defensive Memorial Cordon * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 26

26th Defensive Memorial Cordon with 1 gold Cherry Blossom * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 32

32nd Defensive Memorial Cordon * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 33

33rd Defensive Memorial Cordon * Japan Self-Defense Forces Service Ribbon 41

41st Defensive Memorial Cordon with 1 gold Cherry Blossom

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimizuka, Eiji 2015 deaths Chiefs of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force 1952 births United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit National Defense Academy of Japan alumni Military personnel from Kanagawa Prefecture