Ministry of Defense

Ministry of Defense

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) is an administrative body of the Government of Japan responsible for maintaining peace, independence, and national security through the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The ministry was formed in 2007 as a result of the endorsement of a bill elevating the Defense Agency, established in 1954, from an agency under the Cabinet Office to a ministry within the Cabinet of Japan. On their website, the Ministry of Defense provides papers and information related to Japanese defense policies, including an annual White Paper. They also inform the public of the Japanese government’s official determination of the range of uses for the Japanese defense forces that the Constitution allows.

National Institute for Defense Studies

The National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) was originally founded in 1952 as the National Safety College by the National Safety Agency, which was reorganized into the Defense Agency in 1954. Following the Defense Agency's elevation to the Ministry of Defense in 2007, the National Safety College was renamed to its current title in the same year. NIDS serves as a research center for security policy and military history, as well as an educational institution for high-level officers of the Self-Defense Forces. NIDS also maintains a collection of historical documents in the Military Archives, Center for Military History, NIDS. In addition to conducting research, NIDS hosts several international events, inviting experts to take part in discussion on security policy and military history. On their website, the National Institute for Defense Studies publishes reports, research papers, and academic journals, including the East Asian Strategic Review and the NIDS Journal of Defense and Security.