Introduction

Abstract

This introductory chapter begins with a brief background on the current study, detailing the processes the author of this book underwent as part of the overall research effort on Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF). It then sets out the purpose of the book, which is to examine how the SDF have made sense of those “odd missions” that Anthony Zinni, a retired general of the U.S. Marine Corps and former commander in chief of United States Central Command, envisions as the future of the military. This is followed by a brief history of the SDF. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.