SDF 70 yrs on — Expanding Roles / Ex-Commander General: GSDF Will Remain Last Line of Defense; Japan Should Prepare Defenses in “Both North and South”

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Self-Defense Forces, The Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed Koichiro Bansho, a retired commanding general of the Western Army of the Ground Self-Defense Force. The following are excerpts from the interview by staff writer Kenta Kamimura.