, abbreviated is the national, four-year university-level service academy aimed to educate and train students who will be serving as officers in the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It is located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. History The National Defense Academy of Japan was opened in 1952 as , and was renamed "National Defense Academy" in 1954, when the incipient Japanese military was renamed from to the Japan Self-Defense Forces. In contrast to the pre-war period, when the Imperial Navy and Army had separate academies (Imperial Japanese Army Academy and Imperial Japanese Navy Academy, the National Safety Academy (later the National Defense Academy) was established as a unified institution in order to mitigate the effects of sectionalism and inter-service rivalry. The Academy matriculated its first female student in 1992. Selection Its main course students are selected from applicants and typically are recent graduates from Japanese civilian senior high schools who have completed twelve years of formal schooling. They are paid a salary as employees of the Ministry of Defense. After graduation they are posted to the Officer Candidate Schools in one of three forces, conduct training alongside civilian university graduates and internal promotees before being posted as officers. Postgraduate The academy also conducts master's and doctoral level courses for students who are endorsed by their supervisors at their respective serving forces. Affiliation The National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education, an Independent Administrative Institution affiliated with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has recognised the courses and awards the graduates degrees on request. As the Academy is not an MEXT-recognised university, it cannot offer its own degrees. List of presidents Tomoō Maki (August 19, 1952 – January 16, 1965) Hiroshi Omori (January 16, 1965 – July 1, 1970) Masamichi Inoki (July 16, 1970 – July 15, 1978) Kuniyasu Tsuchida (September 29, 1978 – March 24, 1987) Haruo Natsume (March 24, 1987 – September 30, 1993) Saburō Matsumoto (October 1, 1993 – March 31, 2000) Masashi Nishihara (April 1, 2000 – March 31, 2006) Makoto Iokibe (August 1, 2006 – March 31, 2012) Ryosei Kokubun (April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2021) Fumiaki Kubo (April 1, 2021 – present) Notable alumni Yoshifumi Hibako, chief of staff, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Yuji Fujinawa, chief of staff, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Toshio Tamogami, chief of staff, Japan Air Self-Defense Force Satoshi Morimoto, scholar Gen Nakatani,