1st Airborne Brigade (Japan)
| 1st Airborne Brigade | |
|---|---|
1st Airborne Brigade Shoulder Sleeve Patch | |
| Active | June 25, 1958 – present |
| Country | Japan |
| Branch | Japan Ground Self-Defense Force |
| Type | Airborne forces |
| Size | 1,900 soldiers |
| Part of | Ground Component Command (陸上総隊) |
| Garrison/HQ | Camp Narashino, Funabashi, Chiba |
| Nickname(s) | Narashino Airborne Brigade, 1AB |
| Motto(s) | The Matchless Elite Second To None (精鋭無比) |
| Engagements | Iraq War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Maj. Gen. Jun'ya Wakamatsu |
| Notable commanders | Hayao Kinugasa Yoshifumi Hibako Satoshi Mizuno Yosihiko Doi Ken'ichi Kinomura Shizuo Sekine |
The 1st Airborne Brigade (第1空挺団, Dai-Ichi Kūtei Dan), also known as the Narashino Airborne Brigade (習志野空挺団), is stationed in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Camp Narashino in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.
The Brigade serves as Japan's elite paratrooper unit meant to counter against either airborne forces units enemy, commando, guerrilla warfare, and irregular military. Since 1999, the Brigade has a Guide Unit (誘導隊, Yūdō-tai), serving as its NEO (Non-combatant Evacuation Operations) unit. Currently, they are attached to current homeland defense and international combat operations under the JGSDF's Ground Component Command (Japanese: 陸上総隊) (formerly under the Central Readiness Force).