Overview

• In 2023 the Self-Defense Forces sought nearly 20,000 recruits but attracted only about half, leaving roughly 10% of some 250,000 billets vacant, according to the defense ministry.
• Leaders cite growing concern over a potential Taiwan conflict involving China and the United States as they press the buildup, even as Washington urges Japan to spend more than the 2% target.
• Okinawa remains the practical frontline, hosting about 70% of U.S. facilities in Japan and serving as a hub for monitoring China, the Taiwan Strait and the Korean peninsula.
• New funding has improved troop living conditions with air conditioning, cleaner bathrooms and greater dorm privacy after years of shortages that forced units to strip old tanks and jets for parts.
• Recruiters are widening the talent pool to cybersecurity, space defense, electromagnetic warfare and intelligence, but entrenched pacifism and a tight labor market dampen willingness to serve, reflected in a survey showing only 9% would fight for the country.