Uniform Insignia Forum

Is the rank of Warrant Officer in the current Japanese Armed Forces an officer or enlisted rank?

Dear London,

I consulted my personal at home and on the UI website and the Japanese Warrant Officer is always wearing insignia equal to a Second Lieutenant without star or in the Navy a thin stripe below on the sleeve. I think he is an officer but to be sure you have to find the Japanese payment or rankclassification tables. I can not help you with that. Good luck with your search.
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Peter

I would agree the rank insignia suggests the Japanese WO is an officer.

However, the link below suggests this rank is the equivalent of the British WO1 and the US Chief Master Sergeant - confusing!!

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123019512

Dear Guest, London,

I think that a Japanese Warrant Officer is more the same as a French, Belgian and Dutch 'Adjudant' and in the US System compares to a Sergeant Major and not to a US Warrant Officer.
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Peter

It's interesting though that the Japanese Self Defense Forces also have Sergeant Majors, Master Chief Petty Officers and Chief Master Sergeants which suggests the Warrant Officers might have a different status.

Click on 'Recruit' at the top of the page in the attached link to look at the overview of the Appointment System, which illustrates my point:

http://www.jda.go.jp/jasdf/indexe.html

Dear London,

Personnaly I think that it is like a French 'Adjudant' because he is a promoted Chief Master Sergeant in the Japanese system and has not an special entrance level like US Warrant Officers have. US ones are not promoted Sergeant Majors for instance.
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Peter wrote:Dear London,

Personnaly I think that it is like a French 'Adjudant' because he is a promoted Chief Master Sergeant in the Japanese system and has not an special entrance level like US Warrant Officers have. US ones are not promoted Sergeant Majors for instance.
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Correct me I'm wrong, but I think most US Warrants are promoted from enlisted E5 and E6 ranks. Only the aviators are direct entry. However, you're probably right about the Japanese WO rank. Makes you wonder though why the Japanese Air Force needs a Chief Master Sergeant and an enlisted Warrant Officer rank , and why the WO has officer style insignia.

Since all the other Japanese ranks correspond with US ranks, it's strange that the WO rank appears not to correspond with the US WO rank.

Dear London,

I think that only Japanese pay grade tables and function classifications can solve adequate this question. I do not have them, but maybe somebody else does?
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Peter wrote:Dear London,

I think that only Japanese pay grade tables and function classifications can solve adequate this question. I do not have them, but maybe somebody else does?
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Peter

Good point.

Interesting though that the Japanese WO has the suffix 'Rikui' which is also the same for Lieutenants and Captains (see link below).

http://www.uniforminsignia.org/index.php?p=show&id=150&sid=876

Dear London,

Maybe is Warrant Officer the wrong title for this rank and would Candidate or Aspirant Officer the right one?
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Peter wrote:Dear London,

Maybe is Warrant Officer the wrong title for this rank and would Candidate or Aspirant Officer the right one?
Yours sincerely,

Peter Meijlaers

Possible but the link I gave earlier and below suggests the two are separate.


http://www.jda.go.jp/jasdf/indexe.html

Click on 'Recruit' at the top of the page in the attached link to look at the overview of the Appointment System.


LONDON

The Japanese name for the warrant rank 'Jun Rikui' can be translated as quasi-officer, associate officer or half-officer. I'm waiting for some answers from the US Military in Japan on the status of Japanese Warrant Officers, but the rank insignia and the 'Rikui' suffix (also used for Lieutenants and Captains), suggests something closer to a US style WO than a Commonwealth WO.

The Japanese WO rank (Jun Rikui) is equivalent to a Commonwealth WO i.e. an enlisted rank (info from a serving Sergeant First Class in the US Army!)

Interesting that the wartime Japanese Army Warrant Officer rank (Jun-i) had officer status, as does the current South Korean WO rank (Junwi) which is equivalent to a US CW3.

From the US Forces Japan website:

http://www.usfj.mil/Japanese%20military%20rank%20chart.pdf

Interesting that the Warrant Officer is classed as an officer by Japanese standards but is equivalent to an E9 in the US Forces.