APPROXIMATElast verified 2026-10-201st Airborne Brigade (第1空挺団) — JGSDF
JGSDF common fitness test — grade 5 pass line (ages 15–24)
The 1st Airborne Brigade (第1空挺団) at Narashino is the JGSDF’s parachute brigade. Under GSDF directive 21-6, volunteers for airborne training are chosen by three checks: the GSDF fitness test, the airborne medical examination and a psychological aptitude test. The directive does not say which fitness grade is required, and the full GSDF grade table is an internal document. The calculator therefore uses the only official GSDF fitness threshold we found in public: the grade 5 pass line for ages 15–24 (52 push-ups, 55 bent-knee sit-ups, 3,000 m in 13:39), from a 2016 GSDF trial standard. Treat it as an approximate bar, not as the published airborne requirement.
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The test, event by event
| Event | GSDF fitness test, grade 5 — men 15–24 |
|---|---|
| Push-ups (腕立て伏せ) | 52 |
| Bent-knee sit-ups (ひざ半屈腹筋) | 55 |
| 3,000 m run (3000m走) | 13:39 |
Also required
- Who can volunteer (GSDF directive 21-6, Art. 62): sergeants under 36, privates under 34 and recruit trainees (自衛官候補生). Selection (Art. 63): the GSDF fitness test, the airborne medical examination and stage 1 of the airborne personnel selection test with a rating of at least “borderline suitable” (準適性). Before training starts, the airborne training unit runs stage 2 of that test and may repeat the fitness and medical checks (Art. 65).
- Airborne medical examination (GSDF directive 36-7, amended to 2021): height at least 161 cm; chest and weight at least the “B” standard for your height (at 161 cm: chest 78.5 cm, weight 49 kg); vital capacity at least 3,000 cc; grip strength at least 30 kg in each hand; uncorrected vision at least 0.1 and corrected at least 0.8; blood-pressure limits and a lumbar X-ray without abnormalities.
- The same 2016 source gives the women’s grade 5 line (26 push-ups, 46 sit-ups, 3,000 m in 16:36) and a combat-related test in combat kit, identical for men and women: sprint 15 s, ditch crossing 0.9 m, and lifting, carrying and loading heavy items in 100 s.
- GSDF fitness test, grade 5 — men 15–24 — 情本総第511号（28.4.21）「情報本部における陸曹候補生選抜業務…実施要領（通達）」付紙第3 体力検定実施要領 — 体力検定基準(試行)(陸幕教訓計第105号, 28.3.31) による (2016-04-21)
Questions
Is grade 5 the official airborne entry standard?
No. The airborne rules require you to pass the GSDF fitness test but do not publish the required grade, and the full GSDF scoring table (annex 5 to GSDF directive 110-1) is marked internal. Grade 5 for ages 15–24 is the only official GSDF threshold we found in public, so we use it as an approximate bar. It comes from a 2016 trial standard and may have changed since.
What about the Special Forces Group (特殊作戦群) and Ranger?
The Special Forces Group publishes no fitness thresholds; the GSDF medical rules list only a medical check at selection. Ranger course students must meet official medical criteria — back strength at least 150 kg, grip at least 40 kg in each hand, vital capacity at least 3,200 ml and a step test — but these are not fitness-test events, so they are not in the calculator.
Where do the numbers come from?
From Ministry of Defense directives published in its directive search service (clearing.mod.go.jp): the grade 5 line from a Defence Intelligence Headquarters directive of 21 April 2016 (情本総第511号), which cites the GSDF trial fitness standard of 31 March 2016; eligibility from GSDF directive 21-6; the medical criteria from GSDF directives 36-7 and 36-6. We read them on 20 October 2026.
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