Kōichi Isobe

Kōichi Isobe (磯部晃一, Kōichi Isobe, born January 1958) is a retired lieutenant general in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. He retired from active duty in August 2015, after thirty-five years of service in the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
He currently serves as a Strategic Advisor to Kawasaki Heavy Industries. He also serves Senior Fellows of Harvard University Asia Center, and Asia Pacific Initiative Foundation.
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Kōichi Isobe
LTG Kōichi Isobe
Born	January 1958 (age 62–63) Tokushima Prefecture
Allegiance	Japan
Service/branch	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Years of service	1980-2015
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Eastern Army (Japan), and JTF Tsubaki Rescue (Oct. 2013). Vice Chief of Staff, Joint Staff. 7th Division (Japan) Vice Commander, Central Readiness Force.
Awards	Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal (United States)

Career

General Kōichi Isobe was the 37th Commander, Eastern Army (Japan) in his final two years of service. Eastern Army's area of responsibility covers the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and 10 prefectures, and nearly half of the Japanese total population and GDP.
During his tenure, he deployed more than one hundred thousand JSDF personnel in three big disasters: October 2013 Pacific typhoon season flood/landslide on Izu Ōshima, February 2014's record-breaking snowfall in the Kantō region, and September 2014 Mount Ontake eruption.

Unique among JGSDF general officers, General Kōichi Isobe experienced Joint Staff senior positions twice: Director J-5 (July 2009 – August 2011) and Vice Chief of Staff (August 2012 – August 2013). He played as a linchpin of Japan-US military coordination via Operation Tomodachi during the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 whilst serving as J-5. As Vice Chief, Joint Staff, he initiated Amphibious Warfare Study Forum among the JSDF three-service senior leaders.

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Early life and education

General Kōichi Isobe was born in 1958 in Tokushima Prefecture.
He attended National Defense Academy of Japan (the SDF joint military academy) and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the GSDF in 1981.
He was a helicopter aviator who flew OH-6 and Ch-47. After graduation from Command & General Staff College, GSDF, he served at Japan-US Security Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan) (August 1989 – August 1991). He also served various staff appointments in General Staff Office, GSDF. His command positions included 9th Division (Japan) Aviation Squadron, 7th Division (Japan) and Eastern Army (Japan).
General Isobe earned Master of Military Studies at Marine Corps University in 1996. His master's degree paper earned the Brigadier A. W. Hammett Award. He also received Master of Science in national resource strategy at NDU, Fort McNair in 2003.

Awards

Legion of Merit

Meritorious Service Medal (United States)

General Kōichi Isobe’s recent articles

“The Amphibious Operations Brigade -The establishment of the JGSDF brigade and its challenges,” Marine Corps Gazette February 2017 Vol.101 No.2
“An Insider’s View of the History, Evolution, and Prospects of Japan’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade,” U.S.-Japan Alliance Conference -Meeting the Challenge of Amphibious Operations-, The Rand Corporation 2018
https://www.rand.org/pubs/conf_proceedings/CF387.html

References

1. "Visiting Japanese general gets first-hand view of MV-22B > 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing > News Article Display". Archived from the original on 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
2. Marines show off controversial Osprey ahead of Japan training | Stripes Okinawa
3. Japan Defense Almanac 2010 防衛年鑑2010（548頁） ISBN 9784938468316

External links