Eiji Kimizuka

Eiji Kimizuka
Born	July 16, 1952(1952-07-16)
Place of birth	Kanagawa Prefecture
Allegiance	Japan
Service/branch	Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Years of service	Since 1976 (Since 1976) (47–48 years ago)
Rank	General
Awards	Legion of Merit (2008)

Eiji Kimizuka (君塚栄治, Eiji Kimizuka, born July 16, 1952) is the 32nd and current Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the de facto army of Japan. He was promoted to four-star General and assumed the position on August 5, 2011.

Career

Kimizuka was born and raised in Kanagawa Prefecture. He attended the National Defense Academy of Japan, graduating in 1976 into the Ground Self-Defense Force. Kimizuka was initially trained in field artillery, 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.

Promoted to Colonel in 1995, Kimizuka served as the Commander of the 10th Artillery Regiment at JGSDF Camp Toyokawa. In 1999, he became Chief of the Ground Staff Office.

Promoted to Major General in 2001, Kimizuka served as the Commander of the Western Army in Kumamoto Prefecture. In 2003, he became Commander of the 1st Combined Brigade at JGSDF Camp Naha. In 2006, he became Commander of the Central Army at JGSDF Camp Itami.

Promoted to Lieutenant General 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. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Kimizuka led Joint Task Force - Tohoku, a massive 100,000 soldier relief effort coordinated with American forces in Operation Tomodachi.