Japan Self Defense Force

You may be looking for the rogue detachment, Special Operations Group 43 / Jinrai. This page describes the original organization that SOG43 stemmed from.

Overview
The Japan Self-Defense Forces (自衛隊 Jieitai), or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF, JDF, or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established in 1954, and are controlled by the Ministry of Defense. In Trinity, they are left in an awkward position as a portion of their forces attempt a coup d'etat while another portion attempts to remain loyal and fulfill the military organization's original purpose within modern Japan without engaging in the domestic war.

History
Deprived of any military capability after 1945, Japan had only the U.S. occupation forces and a minor domestic police force on which to rely for security. Rising Cold War tensions in Europe and Asia, coupled with leftist-inspired strikes and demonstrations in Japan, prompted some conservative leaders to question the unilateral renunciation of all military capabilities. These sentiments were intensified in 1950 as occupation troops began to be moved to the Korean War (1950–53) theater. This left Japan virtually defenseless and vulnerable, and very much aware of the need to enter into a mutual defense relationship with the United States to guarantee the nation's external security. Encouraged by the American occupation authorities, the Japanese government in July 1950 authorized the establishment of a National Police Reserve, consisting of 75,000 men equipped with light infantry weapons.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, United States forces stationed in Japan were to deal with external aggression against Japan while Japanese forces, both ground and maritime, would deal with internal threats and natural disasters. Accordingly, in mid-1952, the National Police Reserve was expanded to 110,000 men and named the National Safety Forces. The Coastal Safety Force, which had been organized in 1950 as a waterborne counterpart to the National Police Reserve, was transferred with it to the National Safety Agency to constitute an embryonic navy. On July 1, 1954, the National Security Board was reorganized as the Defense Agency, and the National Security Force was reorganized afterwards as the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (de facto post-war Japanese Army), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (de facto post-war Japanese Navy) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (de facto post-war Japanese Air force), with General Keizō Hayashi appointed as the first Chairman of Joint Staff Council—professional head of the three branches. The enabling legislation for this was the 1954 Self-Defense Forces Act [Act No. 165 of 1954].

The Far East Air Force, U.S. Air Force, announced on 6 January 1955, that 85 aircraft would be turned over to the fledgling Japanese air force on about 15 January, the first equipment of the new force.

Although possession of nuclear weapons is not explicitly forbidden in the constitution, Japan, as the only nation to have experienced the devastation of nuclear attacks, expressed early its abhorrence of nuclear arms and its determination never to acquire them. The Atomic Energy Basic Law of 1956 limits research, development, and utilization of nuclear power to peaceful uses only, and beginning in 1956, national policy has embodied "three non-nuclear principles"—forbidding the nation to possess or manufacture nuclear weapons or to allow them to be introduced into its territories. In 1976 Japan ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (adopted by the United Nations Security Council in 1968) and reiterated its intention never to "develop, use, or allow the transportation of nuclear weapons through its territory". Nonetheless, because of its generally high technology level and large number of operating nuclear power plants, Japan is generally considered to be "nuclear capable", i.e., it could develop a usable weapon in a short period of time if the political situation changed significantly.

Recent Developments
In 1993, NATO designated the JSDF as a cooperative to the United States Army during the Neomexico incident. They were officially retained in the category of "Information gathering and reconnaissance,” Though this was largely to remain in line with Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, in the event that news of Japan's involvement in the operation leaked. All documents that related to their involvement were destroyed and their participation in the incident has been publicly disavowed by the Japanese government and all major news outlets as an attempt to hide their violation of the Japanese Constitution.

In 2035, a rogue detachment of the JSDF attempted a coup d'etat with the end goal of killing or displacing the Prime Minister. This attempt failed, and an indeterminate number of months later, an anonymous informant from inside the core intelligence agency of the rogue detachment going by the name Deepthroat (In reference to the Watergate scandal) Leaked information to the Prime Minister that implied the organization's intentions to reattempt the coup with more formidable military presence and general professionalism that the original lacked. With this betrayal, Special Operations Group 43 was unveiled, and the Japanese Civil War broke into a national shadow-conflict.

Further reading: Special Operations Group 43, The Coup of April, the Coup of November.

Defense Policy
In Trinity, the JSDF's defense policy remains the same as it has been since 1976, though Jinrai was formed with the express and sole purpose of changing the Japanese Constitution to reflect the changing times of the world and (In their ideology) The need for offensive military presence and functionality.

Japan, including its Self Defense Forces, has contributed to the maximum extent possible to the efforts to maintain and restore international peace and security, such as UN peacekeeping operations. Building on the ongoing efforts as a peaceful state, the Government of Japan has been making various efforts on its security policy which include: the establishment of the National Security Council (NSC), the adoption of the National Security Strategy (NSS), and the National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG). These efforts are made based on the belief that Japan, as a "Proactive Contributor to Peace", needs to contribute more actively to the peace and stability of the region and the international community, while coordinating with other countries including its ally, the United States.

Trivia

 * The JSDF were originally written into the story as the dominant political party in Japan. This was changed to more closely reflect the original lore found in Neotokyo.
 * The phrase 'Rankless Dog' originated from JGSDF squad lingo.
 * Throughout the development history of Trinity, the JGSDF's color has always been green.