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Japan Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia
Uniforms in all three SDF branches are similar in style
to
those worn by United States forces. GSDF uniforms are
gray-blue;
MSDF personnel wore traditional blue dress, white service,
and
khaki work uniforms; and ASDF personnel wear the lighter
shade of
blue worn by the United States Air Force. The arm of
service to
which members of the ground force are attached is
indicated by
piping of distinctive colors: for infantry, red;
artillery, yellow;
armor, orange; engineers, violet; ordnance, light green;
medical,
green; army aviation, light blue; signals, blue;
quartermaster,
brown; transportation, dark violet; airborne, white; and
others,
dark blue. The cap badge insignia for all displays a dove
of peace.
There are nine officer ranks in the active SDF, along
with a
warrant officer rank, five NCO ranks, and three enlisted
ranks
(see
fig. 14). The highest NCO rank, first sergeant (senior
chief petty
officer in the MSDF and senior master sergeant in the
ASDF), was
established in 1980 to provide more promotion
opportunities and
shorter terms of service as sergeant first class, chief
petty
officer, or master sergeant. Under the earlier system, the
average
NCO was promoted only twice in approximately thirty years
of
service and remained at the top rank for almost ten years.
Data as of January 1994
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