Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
| Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
|---|---|
| 海上自衛隊 (Japanese) | |
 Emblem of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
| Founded | 1 July 1954 |
| Country |  Japan |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Naval warfare |
| Size | 50,800 personnel 160 ships 346 aircraft |
| Part of |  Japan Self-Defense Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Ichigaya, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| March | Gunkan kōshinkyoku (Warship March) ⓘ |
| Fleet | 2 light aircraft carriers 2 helicopter carriers 24 submarines 36 destroyers 8 frigates 6 destroyer escorts 4 landing ships 30 minesweepers 6 patrol boats 8 training ships (21 auxiliaries) |
| Website | mod.go.jp/msdf |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief |  Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi |
| Minister of Defense | Shinjirō Koizumi |
| Chief of Staff, Joint Staff |  General Hiroaki Uchikura |
| Chief of Staff, Maritime Self-Defense Force | Admiral Akira Saitō |
| Insignia | |
| Commissioning pennant |  |
| Ensign |  |
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Japanese: 海上自衛隊, Hepburn: Kaijō Jieitai), abbreviated JMSDF (海自, Kaiji), also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the navy branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed on 1 July 1954, 9 years after the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in 1945, following their defeat in World War II. The JMSDF has a fleet of 160 ships, 346 aircraft and 50,800 personnel.
