NEW CAFUA Selection 2027-2028
Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band
Out on CD
NEW CAFUA Selection 2027-2028
Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band
- Catalog No.
- CACG-0340
- CD release
- November 11, 2026
- Streaming from
- November 13, 2026
- Price
- ¥3,300 (tax included)
- Contents
- 10 tracks (8 works)／64:33
- Recorded
- July 11–12, 2026
JASDF Fuchu Air Base - JAN
- 4524513003403
About this album
After 11 years, CAFUA Selection is finally back — for the Reiwa era!
Since its first release in 2004, the CAFUA Selection series has opened up new possibilities for concert programming, delivering outstanding performances in high-quality sound. Now the series that has led the way in introducing new wind band music is on the move again.
Free from contest results and passing trends, we have carefully selected outstanding works by Japanese composers — new and established, for small and large ensembles alike — presented in superb performances by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band.
At a time when the world of wind band music is on the verge of major change, we want to look again at where it all begins: engaging with the music itself and sharing the joy of performing. We hope this album will help many bands look beyond the contest stage, pursue their own music, and discover new repertoire.
Track list
- 1Winners: Concert march for wind orchestraMasahiko Suwa4:18Grade 3.5#ConcertOpener#Ceremony#ConcertMarch
- 2The First Flight of HENRI FARMANTakamasa Sakai6:28Grade 3Small band#ContestPiece#About20Players#SchoolBand
- 3To the Azure - Fanfare and Processional for a CelebrationYoshio Nakahashi4:20Grade 3#Anniversary#Ceremony#ConcertOpener
- 4Beyond the Summer SkyKazuki Shimoda7:07Grade 3Small band#SmallBand#FlexibleSize#TrumpetSolo#EuphoniumSolo
- 5Toward the Heavenly Sky... for Wind EnsembleKei Misawa6:58Grade 4Small band#SmallToMidSize#Phrasing#Soloists
- 6The Sound Barrier - Rhapsody for Orchestra Op.38Malcolm Arnold, arr. Hisaatsu Kondo8:18Grade 4.5#BrassFeature#AdvancedBand#FlightTheme#FilmMusic
- 7Toki is dancing in the Sora for wind orchestraNaoyuki Terai8:04Grade 4.5#AdvancedBand#SopranoSax#Improvisation#Contemporary
- 8Septuagénaire: I. Dévouement / II. Chant / III. Finale CapriceMasamicz Amano18:53Grade 4#Centerpiece#70thBirthday#70thAnniversary#AdvancedBand
The Band
Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band
The Central Band was founded in 1961 as the Air Band at Tachikawa Sub-Base in Tokyo and became the JASDF Central Band in 1982. As a band under the direct command of the Minister of Defense, it gives about 100 performances a year, including Ministry of Defense ceremonies and concerts across Japan. It has taken part in numerous national and international events, including the Enthronement Ceremony of the current Emperor and the Tokyo Olympics.
In 1992, it became the first band in Asia to receive the Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands, an honor given to outstanding military bands around the world, and in 1995 it performed at the WASBE World Conference in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. In 1999, it became the first band of the Ground, Maritime, or Air Self-Defense Forces to take part in the Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Canada, and also performed with the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. In recent years, it has taken part in events in Germany and the Netherlands (2018), France (2022), Vietnam and Switzerland (2023), the Philippines (2024), and the Virginia International Tattoo in the United States (2025), and also performed with the U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band. In September 2025, it joined "Atlantic Eagles," a goodwill visit to the United Kingdom and Germany. In February 2026, it appeared at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Brisbane in Australia and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Auckland in New Zealand. In July of that year, it performed with the Italian Air Force Band at a reception in Rome, Italy, celebrating the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Italy.
To meet a wide range of missions, the Central Band relocated to Fuchu Air Base in Tokyo in 2023. It will continue to explore every possibility of the wind band, take on music of every genre, and work actively as a bridge between the people of Japan and the Self-Defense Forces through concerts, social media, and online video.
* Profiles current as of August 2026.
Conductors
Deputy Commander, Lieutenant Colonel
Satoshi Kuchikata
Conducts Tr. 4, 7, 8
Profile
Born in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music, Department of Instrumental Music (tuba).
In 2007, upon completing the master's program at the Graduate School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts, he joined the Japan Air Self-Defense Force as a general officer candidate. After serving as Commander of the Southwestern Air Defense Force Band, Deputy Commander of the JASDF Central Band, Commander of the Central Air Defense Force Band, and in the Public Affairs Office of the Air Staff Office, he returned to the JASDF Central Band as Deputy Commander in August 2025.
He studied tuba with Eiichi Inagawa and Naoki Torii, and conducting with Yasuaki Terashima, Kenichi Osawa, D. Bostock, and Keiko Kobayashi.
* Profiles current as of August 2026.
Chief of Performance Section, Major
Daisuke Haga
Conducts Tr. 1, 3, 5
Profile
Born in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. After graduating from Musashino Academia Musicae, Faculty of Music, Department of Instrumental Music (trumpet), he joined the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 2006.
After Officer Candidate School, he served as Chief of the Performance Section and Chief of the Programming Section of the Western Air Defense Force Band, and as Chief of the Planning Section of the JASDF Central Band; in 2014, he furthered his studies at Tokyo University of the Arts as a dispatched student. He then served as Commander of the Northern Air Defense Force Band, and as Chief of the Performance Section and Deputy Commander of the JASDF Central Band, before assuming his current position in August 2025.
He studied trumpet with Tsutomu Kako and Yoshikazu Kubo, and conducting with Atsushi Maeda and Yoshihide Ogasawara.
* Profiles current as of August 2026.
Captain
Yuki Harada
Conducts Tr. 2, 6
Profile
Born in Tomakomai, Hokkaido. Graduated from Tokyo College of Music, Faculty of Music, Department of Instrumental Music (bass trombone), and the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.
He joined the Japan Air Self-Defense Force in 2010. As a bass trombonist, he served with the JASDF Central Band and the Northern Air Defense Force Band, and was commissioned as an officer in 2019. After serving as Chief of the Performance Section of the Central Air Defense Force Band, he furthered his studies in 2021 as a dispatched student at Tokyo University of the Arts and in the conducting course at Tokyo College of Music.
From 2022 he served as Chief of the General Affairs Section of the JASDF Central Band, and from July 2023 as its Chief of the Performance Section. He studied bass trombone with Takanobu Noguchi, Kiyoshi Ito, Yasuhiko Shiozawa, and Olaf Ott, and conducting with Yasuaki Terashima, Yasuhiko Shiozawa, Kazufumi Yamashita, and Toshifumi Tashiro.
* Profiles current as of August 2026.
MessageLt. Col. Keiko Tsuda
Since its founding in 1961, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band, under the direct command of the Minister of Defense, has believed in the power of music and continually pursued its possibilities.
Alongside performing at national ceremonies and major events of the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces, and giving concerts throughout Japan, we have taken part in national occasions such as the Enthronement Ceremony of the current Emperor and the Tokyo Olympics. Through international military music festivals and exchange programs around the world, we have also continued on our path as a bridge connecting Japan and the world through music. In 1992, we became the first band in Asia to receive the Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands, and we are grateful to be highly regarded both in Japan and abroad.
Yet what we strive for is not only to improve our musicianship or to appear on glamorous stages.
Before we are musicians, we are members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
As part of the JASDF, which protects the safety and peace of mind of the people of Japan, our mission is to deepen the bond between the public and the JASDF through music, and to serve as a bridge between Japan and the world. Music has the power to encourage, to give courage, and to bring hope. It also has the power to connect people's hearts across languages and cultures, generations and borders. We believe in that power, and we put sincerity and pride into every single note we play.
Many of our members were once students who poured their hearts into wind band music. The joy of making music together with friends, the thrill of seeing hard work pay off, the experience of pressing on through difficulties — each of these has become the foundation of the sound of the Central Band today.
Among those of you holding this CD, there must be some who are walking toward your dreams with music by your side. The experience of creating music together, united in heart with your fellow players, will surely become a precious treasure that supports your future.
This CD carries the tradition and pride we have inherited, along with our commitment to the challenges ahead. We hope that everyone who loves music will feel the spirit and the sound of the JASDF Central Band.
The JASDF Central Band will continue to stand beside people through music, walking on as a bridge between the people of Japan and the JASDF, and between Japan and the world.
* Profiles current as of August 2026.
Recording and sheet music inquiries
For concert and contest recordings or sheet music rental, please get in touch.Scores can also be rented ahead of their publication date, so feel free to ask.The contact page is in Japanese.
Credits
- Performed by
- Japan Air Self-Defense Force Central Band
- Conductors
- Deputy Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Satoshi Kuchikata (4, 7, 8)
Chief of Performance Section, Major Daisuke Haga (1, 3, 5)
Captain Yuki Harada (2, 6) - Recorded
- July 11–12, 2026
JASDF Fuchu Air Base - Producer
- Goki Hosokibara
- Director & Recording Engineer
- Kohei Mikuni (K.M.Works)
- Assistant Engineer
- Yuya Suzuki (Lubina Works)
- Artist Management
- Miina Ueno
Hiroyuki Nishimura - Digital Distribution & Website Production
- Yugo Sasaki
- Art Direction
- Minami Ogura
- Design
- Sora Miyagawa
- Max/MSP System "TokiSoraEffector" Patch Programming
- Naoyuki Terai
- Solo Track Sound Design
- Sora Miyagawa
- Staff
- Riku Suganuma
Tomoyuki Murakami - Executive Producer
- Hiroshi Kasai
- Special Thanks to
- Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Natsuru Himeno
℗ 2026 CAFUA RECORDS INC.