Former Chief of Staff, Japan Joint Staff
GEN (Ret.) Yoshihide Yoshida is a former Chief of Staff, Joint Staff Office of Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). After studying engineering at the University of Tokyo, he joined the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in 1986. He rose through the ranks to become Commanding General of the 8th Division, 38th Commander of the Northern Army, and 4th Commander of the Ground Component Command.
He later served as the 38th Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, where he contributed to revisions of Japan’s National Security Strategy and related security documents. He was subsequently appointed Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, becoming the first non–National Defense Academy graduate to hold the highest uniformed position in the Self-Defense Forces.
During his tenure as Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, he led responses to ballistic missile launches by North Korea and large-scale natural disasters, including the Noto Peninsula earthquake. He also played a central role in establishing the JSDF Joint Operations Command, the most significant organizational reform since the creation of the Joint Staff Office.
