Eiji Kimizuka

was the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the de facto army of Japan. He was promoted to four-star General and assumed the position on August 5, 2011.

Career Kimizuka was born and raised in Kanagawa Prefecture. He attended the National Defense Academy of Japan, graduating in 1976 into the Ground Self-Defense Force. Kimizuka was initially trained in field artillery, and served in a number of artillery command roles at the company-grade and field-grade levels. Throughout his career, he has attended a number of military schools including Japanese Ranger School, Japanese Airborne School, and the United States Army Command and General Staff College.

Promoted to colonel in 1995, Kimizuka served as the commander of the 10th Artillery Regiment at JGSDF Camp Toyokawa. In 1999, he became chief of Defense Planning Division, Ground Staff Office. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Kimizuka led Joint Task Force - Tohoku, a massive 100,000-soldier relief effort coordinated with American forces in Operation Tomodachi. He died on December 28, 2015, of lung cancer.

Defensive memorial cordon