Recently, there have been calls in domestic politics to introduce a ‘female conscription system’ to solve the problem of military shortage, and even in Japan, where low birth rate and aging problems are serious, the government is considering measures to recruit troops, such as raising the retirement age for ranks and increasing the proportion of women in the Self-Defense Forces. I’m doing it. Japan, which uses a volunteer army system, has not been able to achieve its recruitment target for the Self-Defense Forces for several years, and is facing a serious troop shortage problem, with medical personnel even acting as cooks.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 13th (local time), “Japan is facing the most serious security threat in decades due to China’s increasing military provocations and North Korea’s development of nuclear missiles,” adding, “However, Japan’s population reality is “It’s cruel,” he said, pointing out the problem of lack of troops. As of last year, the number of Self-Defense Forces was 247,154, but the actual number of deployed personnel was only 233,341. To solve this problem, Japan increased the upper age limit for enlistment from 26 to 32 in 2018. In October of this year, the retirement age for 6 out of 16 classes was raised by one year. Five levels are planned to be raised starting in October next year. Starting next year, the Maritime Self-Defense Force boarding allowance is also planned to be increased by about 30%. The ‘Noshiro’, which was commissioned in December last year to respond to China’s strengthening of maritime military power, was designed to be able to operate with only two-thirds the number of troops of the previous model. The NYT said, “Work that was previously handled by 7 or 8 people is now done by 3 or 4 people,” and “Medical support staff are even responsible for cooking and dishwashing.”
Arguments to increase the proportion of women in the Self-Defense Forces are also constantly being raised. Yoshihide Yoshida, Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “The way we have been doing it so far is not enough,” and added, “The proportion of women, which is currently only 8%, must be increased to 12% by 2030.” However, in response to this, the NYT said, “There is a phenomenon of women avoiding enlistment due to gender issues in the military.” Recently, the Fukushima District Court sentenced three discharged male soldiers to two years in prison each and four years of probation in a lawsuit alleging sexual assault filed by a discharged female soldier from the Self-Defense Forces. Rina Konoi, who enlisted in April 2020, suffered from sexual assault for two years and two months. She reported it to the military authorities, but she was ignored and discharged.
Japan’s unemployment rate in October was 2.5%, with 1.3 jobs per person, and the number of young people choosing to join the Self-Defense Forces is decreasing. Colonel Toshiyuki Aso, in charge of troop recruitment, said, “In the past, some people joined the Self-Defense Forces because they had no other choice, but now the opportunities for career choices are wider.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.