Kawano's long tenure and political trust

Japan's Joint Staff chiefs usually served for roughly two years, although Lieutenant General Keizo Hayashi chaired the Joint Staff Council for ten years and 43 days between 1954 and 1964. Kawano's later tenure of four years and 168 days reflected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trust, as well as several potential successors dropping out before a strategically similar officer became available. General Koji Yamazaki followed with three years and 362 days in office. Together they gave Japan more than eight years of unusually consistent Joint Staff leadership from 2014 to 2023. That continuity gave long-term decisions time to become part of the political and command system before shorter tenures returned.