"japan's self-defense forces are experiencing their worst conscription season ever"
2024-09-04
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source: cankaoxiaoxi.com
reference news reported on september 3according to reuters on august 30, japan's ministry of defense said on august 30 that it will increase investment in artificial intelligence, automation and improving troop conditions to solve the increasingly serious problem of recruiting difficulties.
the measures, which appeared in the defense ministry's defense budget request released on august 30, come as the japanese self-defense forces experienced their worst annual recruitment campaign ever. in the year ending march 31 this year, the japanese self-defense forces recruited fewer than 10,000 members, only half of the target number.
japanese prime minister fumio kishida announced in 2022 that defense spending would be doubled to stockpile missiles and other weapons, purchase advanced fighter jets and establish cyber defense forces.
however, japan's falling birth rate means it is harder than ever to maintain the current level of 250,000 self-defense forces. "as we strengthen our defense, we need to build an organization that can fight in new ways," the defense ministry said in its annual budget request, which calls for a 6.9% spending increase to a record 8.5 trillion yen ($58 billion).
to cope with the problem of a decrease in the number of new recruits, japan's ministry of defense said it will introduce artificial intelligence technology and will allocate 18 billion yen next year for an artificial intelligence surveillance system aimed at improving the security of military bases.
the defense ministry will also buy more drones and spend 314 billion yen on three highly automated air defense ships, which will need only 90 maritime self-defense force members aboard, less than half the crews needed on existing ships.
in order to free up more troops to perform front-line missions, the japan self-defense forces will also outsource some training and support operations to former self-defense force members and civilian contractors.
in addition, to take advantage of japan’s shrinking military-age population, which companies that can pay higher wages are also luring, the self-defense forces plan to offer financial incentives and improve living conditions, such as more private dormitories and better access to social platforms. in particular, the self-defense forces are focusing on attracting more women, who currently make up less than 10% of the force. efforts to increase the number of female soldiers have been hampered by a series of high-profile sexual harassment cases.
to improve this situation, the japanese ministry of defense intends to invest 16.4 billion yen to build accommodation facilities for female soldiers, equipped with improved toilet and shower facilities. the japanese ministry of defense also said it would hire external consultants to provide support for women and strengthen training against sexual harassment. (compiled by du yuanjiang)
