Kaikōsha (Rikushū Kaikōsha)

Founded in 1877, Kaikōsha was composed of retired generals, warrant officers, officer cadets, and senior civilian officials attached to the Imperial Japanese Army, as well as former commissioned officers of the Japan Ground and Air Self-Defense Forces.

Kaikōsha used to publish a monthly magazine, Kaikō (偕行), which featured articles on security and military history written by its members. Some of these articles dealt with constitutional revision, with a particular focus on Article 9, and in general the contributors called for its amendment.

In April 2024, Kaikōsha merged with Rikushūkai (the association of retired senior officers of the Ground Self-Defense Force) to form the Rikushū Kaikōsha. On its newly redesigned website, the organization explains its significance as follows:

“The Ground Self-Defense Force, in addition to facing personnel and material constraints due to the defense budget and other factors, is constitutionally denied the status of a military force. While carrying out its mission of national defense, it must grapple with numerous major issues arising from this situation. Given today’s increasingly severe security environment, strong support from former senior SDF officers is needed more than ever.”