is a member of the

Japan Self-Defense Forces The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...

who served as the 31st 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 ...

. A graduate of 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 ...

, he later returned to serve as vice-president of the Academy. He has served in multiple capacities, including the chiefs of staff of the GSDF Northern Army during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...

Army Headquarters, and has even acted as a Japanese foreign representative when meeting officers of other countries. Yoshifumi Hibako and George W Casey Jr 20090823

Yoshifumi Hibako and George W Casey Jr 20090823

Life

Hibako entered the

, graduating in 1974.

Career

After graduating from the Academy, Hibako entered the

in 1974. He participated in the reconstruction phase of the

as leader of the GSDF Northern Army. As a mission of the type that the

had never dealt with, Hibako had to determine what tactics and equipment to use without much past guidance. In 2007, he served as vice-president of his

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

, the National Defense Academy. Hibako was appointed the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in March 2009. His role includes advising the

Ministry of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

and overseeing the administration of the GSDF, and ensuring defense, disaster relief, and maintaining ties with foreign military. He has also acted in a semi-diplomatic role, meeting with

Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China The minister of national defense of the People's Republic of China is the head of the Ministry of National Defense (China), Ministry of National Defense and one of the top positions in the State Council of the People's Republic of China, State C ...

Liang Guanglie Liang Guanglie ( zh , c = 梁光烈 , p = Liáng Guāngliè, also spelled as Liang Kuang-lieh; 9 December 1940 – 12 November 2024) was a Chinese general and who served as the Minister of National Defense from 2008 to 2013. Life and career ...

to discuss relations between the two countries in February 2010. He represented Japan at a conference for world militaries to discuss disaster relief and management.

Medals

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 ...

Degree Commander Medal (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibako, Yoshifumi Chiefs of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force 1951 births Military personnel from Fukuoka Prefecture Living people Military leaders of the Iraq War Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit National Defense Academy of Japan alumni