Special Forces Group (Japan)


The Special Forces Group is the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's special forces unit, established on March 27, 2004.
Their mission is infiltration into enemy territory, reconnaissance, sabotage, and hostage rescue, and conducting military operations against guerrillas or enemy commandos. The unit is based in Camp Narashino in Funabashi, Chiba, along with the 1st Airborne Brigade.
The SFGp has been referred to as Japan's Delta Force, due to their specialized role in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The initial operators trained with the U.S. Army's Delta Force.
The civilian counterpart of the SFGp is the Special Assault Teams of the prefectural police departments under the Japanese National Police Agency.
While current manpower is classified, an estimated 300 operators are known to serve in the SFGp.

History

In 1998, the Defense Agency had proposed the formation of a unit within the JGSDF that would handle tasks such as counter-terrorism with a selected group of JGSDF soldiers from the 1st Airborne Brigade sent to the United States to be trained by Green Berets operators. At the same time, two platoons were created from the brigade to be the foundations for the new unit. These consisted of the G Platoon and the S Platoon.
The establishment of the unit's framework had been completed in 2003, after 3 years of training and organisation. The unit's structure is based on that of Green Berets, Delta Force, SAS, KSK, and Australian Special Forces units. Bilingual 1st Special Forces Group personnel were on hand to assist the JGSDF in creating their Table of Organization and Equipment. Takashi Araya once mentioned in an interview that he trained with Green Berets abroad for a year.
On March 27, 2004, the Defense Agency activated the unit as the Special Operations Group, mandated under the JGSDF for counter-terrorism operations.
In 2005, the SOG had deployed four of its operators to serve as bodyguards for the commander of the JGSDF's contingent in Iraq under the Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group.
On March 28, 2007, the SOG, along with the 1st Airborne Brigade, the 1st Helicopter Brigade, and the 101st NBC Protection Unit, became part of the newly created Central Readiness Force.
On March 26, 2008, the unit's name was changed from "Special Operations Group" to "Special Forces Group".
On page 14 of the January–March 2014 edition of「Special Warfare」, authorized official bimonthly publication by the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and Fort Bragg, the U.S. Army Green Berets 1st SOG and the JGSDF SOG conduct a bilateral exercise "Silent Eagle," each fall at JBLM in Washington State.
In 2016, the SFGp was placed on standby during the 42nd G7 summit in case their assistance is required to back up the Special Assault Team and the Anti-Firearms Squad.
On page 83 of the October–December 2017 edition of Special Warfare magazine, an authorized official bimonthly publication by the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and Fort Bragg, the strongest relationship and history between the U.S. Army Green Beret 1st SOG 1st Battalion stationed in Okinawa, and the SFGp, as well as the training conducted by the former USPACOM subordinated Green Berets CRF and the JGSDF SFGp at Joint Combined Exchange Training in Camp Narashino and Okinawa on various missions, including direct action, hostage rescue, urban operations, and mobility on rotary wing and vehicle platforms.
On January 18, 2018, the SFGp conducted one of their few exercises before the presence of the Australian and Japanese prime ministers. At least one SFGp operator was an observer at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference 2018 exercises in Florida. King Abdullah II of Jordan visited Japan and was given a demonstration by SFGp operators on November 27, 2018.
On February 18, 2019, several SFGp operators were deployed to attend Flintlock military exercises in Africa.
On November 5, 2021, the SFGp has trained in Guam with the Green Berets. Exercises between the 1st Special Operations Group and the SFGp are conducted yearly under the codename Silent Eagle.
On June 29, 2021, then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visited maneuvers performed by SFGp operators.
On August 23, 2021, more than a dozen SFGp operators, along with 100 regular JGSDF troops, were deployed to evacuate Japanese nationals and other civilians from Afghanistan.
In August 2022, photos from Joint Exercise Dusk Samurai 2022 with the Australian Army 2nd Commando Regiment at Sydney Parramatta, Australia, were posted on the Australian Department of Defence (Australia) official website.
On October 6, 2022, the JGSDF confirmed on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts that the SFGp and the Australian Army Special Operations Command (Australia) conducted field training in Australia in August 2022.This is the first official announcement by the JGSDF regarding the SFGp's training and joint training between SFGp and special forces units of other countries, and was the sixth joint exercise with the Australian Army Special Forces since 2015.
Volume 19, number 1, 2023 of Veritas, a publication published by the U.S. Army Special Operations Command History Office, contains a description of SFGp and details of Joint Exercise Silent Eagle 2011 between SFGp and the U.S. Army Green Berets 1st SOG.
On March 16, 2023, the JGSDF confirmed on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts that the SFGp and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command conducted field training in United States in January to February 2023.
On March 17, 2023, the U.S. Army 1st Special Forces Group confirmed on their official Facebook and Instagram accounts that the SFGp and 1st SOG conducted joint training with the United States Special Operations Command in February 2023.
On April 25, 2023, SFGp operators were deployed to Sudan alongside CRR soldiers to help Japanese and foreign nationals leave the country due to fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Formation

According to a 2017 Gendai Ismedia article, the SFGp is reported to compose of the following:
  • Commander
  • Executive Officers
  • Headquarters
  • * 1st Department
  • * 2nd Department
  • * 3rd Department
  • * 4th Department
  • Headquarters Administration Unit
  • 1st SOG Company
  • * Company Headquarters
  • * 1st Platoon
  • ** Specialized squads
  • * 2nd Platoon
  • * 3rd Platoon
  • * 4th Platoon
  • 2nd SOG Company
  • 3rd SOG Company
  • Training Unit

Training

Potential recruits to the SFGp are drawn from Ranger-qualified JGSDF soldiers and paratroopers of the 1st Airborne Brigade. The unit's passing rate is said to be at 3% due to demanding physical fitness qualifications aside from a recruit's ranger or airborne qualifications.
SFGp operators are required to study English in order to be bilingual, although they are trained to learn other languages like Arabic, Chinese and Russian.
When the first soldiers were recruited, there was an effort for them to have foreign training due to a lack of experience. According to Takashi Araya, he had to train with the Green Berets in order to be familiarized with modern special forces concepts since those who are Ranger-trained and those who are in the SFGp are not different in terms of their training. Others were given training by various private military contractors when they have free time in either the US or in the UK with their own money.
The SFGp does joint exercises with the SAT.

Weapons

Like the special operations units of other countries, not only those listed here, but also all kinds of domestic and foreign small arms and equipment that are neither distributed nor disclosed to the general public are selected from catalogs and test samples for government agencies that are not open to the public, and are rumored to be procured in secret and in abundance through the ample budget or secret funds of the Japanese government. It is said that the unit is also characterized as a special operations and weapons/equipment development experimental unit, and there is a possibility that the results of equipment development experiments are fed back to the general units as well..

Personal Clothing and Equipment

Due to the nature of their missions, the Special Forces Group uses a variety of combat clothing and equipment. Depending on the mission, they wear Type 3 camouflage uniforms, urban camouflage, and MultiCam uniforms, etc. Privately-purchased items and equipment from the U.S. military and other foreign militaries are also observed in use.

Assault rifles

Special Forces groups tend to be more diverse in their use of foreign rifles than the Japanese-made Howa Type 89 and Howa Type 20 rifles used by conventional units.

Battle Rifles

Sub-machine guns

Machine guns

It is used to support troops, and depending on the mission, it can be mounted on a tripod, bipod, vehicle such as a Komatsu light armored vehicle, helicopter such as CH-47JA and UH-60JA, or aircraft and fired.

Sniper rifles

Shotguns

Pistols

Weapon attachments

Privately-purchased weapon attachments and those obtained through FMS (Foreign Military Sales) can be seen, but the most commonly used examples are:

Missiles and rocket launchers

Grenades and landmines

Other Equipment

In addition to conventional combat, the Special Operations Group conducts special warfare such as Counterterrorism operations and mountain warfare, and is therefore equipped with a number of special personal effects tailored to its missions.

Vehicles

Unit features

As part of regulating and protecting the identities of the various soldiers serving in the unit, their faces are hidden in balaclavas and cannot be revealed except with authorization from their commanding officers. SFGp officers are exempted from the rule.