General Shunji “Bert” Izutsu (井筒 俊司) is a former military officer of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force who most notably served as the branch’s 35th Chief of Staff From 2020 until his retirement in 2023.

Shunji Izutsu
井筒 俊司
Official Portrait
Chief of Staff, Air Self-Defense Force
In office
25 August 2020 – 03 March 2023
Preceded byMarumo Yoshinari
Succeeded byHiroaki Uchikura
Personal details
Born (1964-03-26) 26 March 1964 (age 60)
Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Military service
Allegiance Japan
Branch/service Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Years of service1986–2023
RankGeneral (JASDF)
Commands6th Air Wing
Western Air Defense Force
Air Defense Command
Chief of Staff, Air Self-Defense Force

Biography

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Career

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Born on 26 March 1964 in Chiba Prefecture Izutsu graduated from the National Defense Academy of Japan in March 1986 and joined the Japan Air Self-Defense Force with the rank of Second Lieutenant.

His early career was spent as a pilot flying the Mcdonnell Douglas F-4EJ Phantom II and the Mitsubishi F-15J with over 2,700 hours of successful mission flight time.[1] By 2000 he was a Lieutenant Colonel and in 2002 Izutsu was appointed to the Air Staff Office.

In 2005 he was promoted to Colonel and attended the Air Staff College, the next year he returned to the Air Staff Office before being assigned to the command staff of the 7th Air Wing.

In 2011 he was promoted to Major General and put in command of the 6th Air Wing before being made Deputy Commander of the Southwestern Air Defense Force the following year.

In 2017 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and put in charge of the Western Air Defense Force followed by his appointment as commander of the Air Defense Command in 2019.

 
General Izutsu attending the 37th Space Symposium at Peterson Space Force Base in 2022

In 2020 he was promoted to General and made Chief of Staff of the Air Self-Defense Force, a position he held until his retirement on 30 March 2023.[2][3]

 
General Izutsu with German Lieutenant General and Inspector of the Air Force Ingo Gerhartz in 2022

Later Life

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After his retirement Izutsu become the Vice President of Astroscale Japan a subsidiary of Astroscale, a private multinational space debris removal company headquartered in Tokyo.[4][5]

Awards

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General Izutsu giving a speech after being awarded the French Legion of Honour in 2022
  •   3rd Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   5th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   6th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   7th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   9th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   10th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   11th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   13th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   14th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   16th Defensive Memorial Cordon with one Silver Cherry Blossom
  •   18th Defensive Memorial Cordon with one Gold Cherry Blossom
  •   19th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   20th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   21st Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   26th Defensive Memorial Cordon with two Gold Cherry Blossoms
  •   31st Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   32nd Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   33rd Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   36th Defensive Memorial Cordon
  •   39th Defensive Memorial Cordon

References

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  1. ^ "#空幕広報室 ✈ ︎On Friday, March 24th #井筒空幕長 , we had our final flight training as ( #航空自衛官 #入間基地 ✈️ For about 36 years since January 1987, mainly as a #F4 and #F15 pilot. Successfully completed 2,763 hours of mission 🎉". Twitter. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Mr. Izutsu to the sky curtain chief". Nikkei. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Order issued by the Ministry of Defense (General Personnel) - March 31 2023" (PDF). Japan Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Shunji Izutsu appointed as vice president with the president's office of Astroscale Co., Ltd". PR Times. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Astroscale Japan Appoints Bert Izutsu as Vice President". Astroscale. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Regarding the award of the Légion d'Honneur to Chief of the Air Staff, Shunji Izutsu". Japan Ministry of Defense. Retrieved 23 January 2024.