noun
General Staff Headquarters
Refers to the central organ of military command, especially in the Imperial Japanese Army. In modern contexts, may be used historically or for similar bodies in other countries.
参謀本部は作戦を立案する機関だった。
The General Staff Headquarters was the organization that drafted operations.
Compound of 参謀 (staff officer) and 本部 (headquarters). The term is a direct translation of the Western military concept, adopted during the modernization of the Japanese military in the late 19th century.