Japan Shakes Up Army to Tackle Rising Threats

New central command station will control five regional armies; reversing postwar measures

ASAKA, Japan—For the first time since World War II, Japan’s army is a unified fighting force.

On Wednesday, a central command station for Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force opened at a military base here, just north of Tokyo. The headquarters will control Japan’s five regional armies and a new amphibious brigade similar to the U.S. Marine Corps.

The...