National Defense Academy

Located on a plateau called "Obaradai", which overlooks Yokosuka City and Tokyo Bay, is the National Defense Academy (NDA).  It is also a place from which Mount Fuji can be seen.

NDA belongs to the Japanese Ministry of Defense and mainly serves to educate cadets who will serve as officers in the ground, air, and maritime units of Japan's Self Defense Forces (JSDF).

What makes NDA unique, compared to the U.S., is that it is a "Joint" school, which, in effect, combines Annapolis (USN), West Point (USA), and Colorado Springs (USAF).

In 1950 when the National Police Reserve was organized, then Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida wanted to create a national school that could educate, motivate, and train career officers for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.  On August 1, 1952, the National Safety Academy was established under the provisions of the National Safety Agency Establishment Law, and Prime Minister Yoshida appointed Dr. Tomoo Maki, a professor of law at Keio University, to be its first president.  The National Safety Academy opened on April 1, 1953, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and admitted its first class of 400 cadets, of whom 300 were for the Ground Safety Force and 100 for the Maritime Safety Force.  On July 1, 1954, with enactment of the National Defense Agency Establishment Law, the name of the academy was changed from the National Safety Academy to the National Defense Academy.

Here is NDA's Website

    

An interesting event, which occurs in the Fall when NDA holds a Field Day which is open to the public, is called "Bo-Taoshi"  棒倒し ..... one group of cadets defends a tall pole, while another group tries to pull it down (and has only a few minutes to do so) ..... apart from hitting with closed fists & biting, etc., pretty much anything is permitted...  (FYI --- There are several videos of this exciting event on YouTube)