Japan’s military is devastated and the war has not even started yet

Japan can buy as many F35s, long-range and hypersonic missiles as it wants. It can even boast of having cobbled together a few “aircraft carriers.” But so what?

It’s not that the hardware doesn’t matter. But until Tokyo pays more attention to the people who actually serve in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), buying shiny, expensive equipment won’t matter much.

The JSDF has never fought in a real war, but suffered a crushing defeat last year – they missed recruitment targets by 50%, compared to 35% the year before, and have been short of 20% for years. So the JSDF is an old, undermanned and overworked force.

The reasons – or rather the excuses – are: Japan’s shrinking population, competition from the private sector and a series of personnel scandals.

The real blame, however, lies with Japanese politicians, officials, academics and certain media outlets who have ignored, underfunded, obstructed, belittled and humiliated the JSDF over the past sixty years.

When was the last time a prominent Japanese politician spoke directly to the public about the importance of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the people who serve in them – and then repeated that message over and over again?

Has there ever been a Top Gun movie equivalent for the JSDF?

Something has to change, otherwise Japan might give in as soon as the Chinese call.

It is vital to make service in the JSDF a respected profession and an attractive career option for more young Japanese. Currently, this is not the case – to the continuing shame of the Japanese ruling elite. The fact that JSDF members are still hesitant to wear uniforms in public says it all.

Not surprisingly, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces are unable to recruit enough people.

Admittedly, the JSDF could sell themselves better. Recruitment offices are usually low-key and about as inviting as a Yakuza office. A little professional marketing would do good. But the Japanese government also needs to give them something to sell.

A big part of the problem is that working conditions are not very good. Wages are low and living conditions are borderline Third World for both single and married people. Subscribe to (JSDF members) Many families do not use their air conditioners in the summer because they cannot afford it. And when JSDF members are relocated, they often have to pay the moving costs out of their own pockets.

Pensions? That’s nothing to brag about. If a similar pension system were introduced in America, no one would serve in the US military anymore.

Yet few Japanese are aware of this, since too few of them – especially in the ruling classes – have ever met a soldier.

While I was serving as a U.S. Marine Corps liaison officer with the Japanese Army, a middle-aged Japanese civilian asked me, “Where do you (Jiekan) come from?” I have heard this question many times.

Public appreciation of the Self-Defense Forces actually improved after the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan in 2011. The JSDF—particularly the Ground Self-Defense Forces—performed the bulk of the relief work during Operation Tomodachi, including saving lives, delivering aid, and taking on the horrific task of recovering thousands of bodies, which they did with stoic dignity.

Their reward from a grateful nation? A pay cut, just like all other civil servants.

Jiekan were merely civil servants, it was said. Well, not quite.

Imagine a submarine crew member pursuing a People’s Liberation Army submarine in a deadly underwater game of cat and mouse. This is not exactly comparable to the official at the local district office who makes sure that the dog tax is paid.

Defending Japan and being willing to die for your fellow citizens is simply a very different kind of public service. It’s time for the government and more Japanese citizens to realize that.

Indeed, it is a testament to the innate quality of the JSDF’s personnel that the Self-Defense Force is so effective, having suffered decades of government neglect and lack of funding – not to mention outright disregard at times.

Invest int People who make up the SDF

The government must do the following:

• Take the necessary measures to ensure that young Japanese, men and women, see military service as an advantageous career option that can compete with the private sector. In Japan, this is not as difficult to convey as one might think, given the boring and poorly paid life of a white-collar worker.
• Ensure that service in the JSDF is well paid, provide decent living conditions (no more squalid housing), and take care of military families.
• Focus on soldiers’ professional development – ​​both during and after their service.
• Implement an equivalent of the American GI Bill, which would provide lifetime benefits such as post-military education grants, home loans, health insurance, and adequate, secure pensions for long-serving military members.

The lesson here is that you have to spend money and treat people well to attract good people from a broader pool of candidates who might not otherwise consider joining the military. While it’s not rocket science, it does show that the nation values ​​military service.

To paraphrase retired USMC Lt. Gen. Wallace “Chip” Gregson, former commander of the III Marine Expeditionary Force, “When you do all of this, you create opportunities for advancement for everyone who joins us, attract the right people, and reward them in a way that positively impacts society.”

Set the right priorities

Most bureaucrats, politicians and others don’t care about the disaster on the JSDF’s personnel front. They consider fancy wonder weapons and hardware more important.

But well-supplied and well-trained troops with high morale make for a more efficient force. In fact, they are a prerequisite for an effective force. That should really go without saying.

And Japan has the money, as evidenced by the government’s willingness to spend billions on hardware – and its plans to double defense spending over the next four years.

Spend a lot of it on the Jiekan.

Give JSDF some respect

And it’s not just about money. It’s just as important to praise – and respect – the JSDF and the people who serve in them. In fact, this was a big part of Ronald Reagan’s success in rehabilitating the demoralized U.S. military in the early 1980s.

The Japanese government should also take the necessary steps to revise the constitution and formally legitimize the JSDF. Aside from the morale boost it would provide, it is simply a decent gesture to show some recognition to the small portion of the Japanese population that protects its fellow citizens in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood in East Asia.

And one more thing: Japan’s military underscores the profound difference between Japan and the totalitarian People’s Republic of China.

A respected and properly funded JSDF reinforces the idea that individual freedom, independence, and consensual rule are worth defending from a greedy and resentful neighbor. And that is what the JSDF is all about.

While serving as a diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, I had close contact with Japan’s political elite, as well as officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Finance – by and large intelligent people, even if they sometimes dripped with arrogance.

But were they Japan’s best and brightest minds, as they called themselves? No. I have lived in Japan for 25 years and of all the Japanese, I am most impressed by the Jiekan.

So show the JSDF some respect and treat them better. That way Japan will protect itself better than buying 1,000 F35s and the entire US inventory of Tomahawk missiles.

Grant Newsham is a retired US Navy officer and former US diplomat. He is the author of the book When China Attacks: A Warning to America. Follow him on X @NewshamGrant.