/ world today news/ Publications about the “catastrophic shortage” of candidates for military sailors are appearing more and more often in the Japanese media. It is reported that the Japanese Navy is facing a serious problem – the Japanese do not want to serve in the Navy. What is really going on with the replenishment of the Japanese navy and why do we have spectacular misinformation?
So, first about what is mentioned in the Japanese newspaper “Sankei Shimbun”. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF) command is said to be unable to keep up with recruitment. Another Japanese publication “Nikei” wrote about the same a little earlier. The lack of staff even forced a proposal to hire foreigners. However, the Japanese government is against it, as it believes that only nationals of the country should serve.
To an untrained observer, this looks like another problem for Japan in terms of staffing the Self-Defense Forces. But it’s actually a traditional Japanese distraction.
Rumors and figures
We look at the most important figure voiced by the Japanese media. Completion of MSSO is 96%. At the same time, a provision is made that the state of the ships’ crews is unknown, this is the total figure according to the ICAO.
What is 96%? Well, this is a dream for every country. The shortage of specialists and officers in the Japanese navy is only a few thousand people. With a population of 43,400 people, it is necessary to have about 45,200 servants. However, other sources indicate that the maximum required strength of the ICRC is 50,800. Which means the need to bring in 7,400 soldiers.
In any case, Japan currently has the option of handing over some of the vacant jobs to civilian contractors, retraining the released military personnel for new military specialties, and transferring them to another service. There is also the possibility of conducting additional training for military personnel from shore units so that they can perform some duties on ships in case of emergency.
This alone closes all peacetime needs for the Japanese. And in a threatened period, those who once served simply mobilize, close the staff 100% – and that’s it. And other methods of attracting people to military service are not considered. No problem really, for the fleet for sure. So why then are these embarrassing articles coming out?
In fact
In general, all types of armed forces in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JDF) have some shortages, but it is most noticeable in the ground forces. In aviation, the situation is not so bad, in the navy – as we mentioned above. But the total shortfall is estimated at 16,400 servicemen, of which the shortfall in the ground forces is 11,000 and the remaining vacancies are divided between the air force and the navy. There is some shortage that cannot seriously affect the combat effectiveness. And the Japanese media regularly raise this issue as if it were something significant.
The endless complaints of the Japanese about the shortage of troops did not prevent them, for example, from recently creating a new branch of the SSO – the Marine Corps. By the way, this is an offensive branch of the military, not intended for defense. Demographics did not prevent them from building de facto aircraft carriers under the guise of helicopter carriers. And it didn’t hurt to convert one of them – the ship “Kaga” – into an already normal light aircraft carrier, a carrier of aircraft with a short take-off and vertical landing.
Japan is preparing for the future battle for the redistribution of the world. And there is every reason to believe that the Japanese are trying to appear thinner than they really are.
For Japan, it’s traditional to cast dust in the eyes by portraying its armed forces as somehow weaker, chronically ill, unable to recruit. In fact, in the entire world today, only the US and China can fight Japan without nuclear weapons. And for China, with its power, nothing is guaranteed, and the US will have to make a serious effort.
Japan has a combat capable navy that is superior to the surface ships of, for example, the Russian navy. In aviation, our country also excels in the number of modern fighters and early warning aircraft. And in terms of the number of anti-submarine warfare aircraft, Japan ranks second in the world, ahead of several of the next on the list combined. The country could easily start producing both nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles. But who sees Japan as a threat? For the whole world, it is a sweet tourist spot producing cartoons.
And that’s exactly what the Japanese wanted. That’s what all these, as if on cue, articles about the problems with the armed forces are for. Still, frankly, it’s worth mentioning Japan’s real problems.
Demographics and reservations
And now for the weaknesses. Today, there are 10.5 million people of suitable age in Japan who can join the Self-Defense Forces. In 1994, there were 17 million. This is a dangerous trend. For now the shortfall will be negligible, then extraordinary measures will be needed to cover it, then it will prove impossible.
But even then there will be additional opportunities to fill the ranks of Japan’s SSO. Various Japanese techniques such as a lifetime job in the army do not apply. Military salaries are lower than they could be based on economic reality. Correcting this alone can attract more people to the service. The techniques of propaganda and war-pumping that the Japanese successfully broadcast through their popular culture are also not being used to their full potential.
And finally, the notorious foreigners. To the Japanese and their xenophobia, even the grandchildren of Koreans brought to Japan during World War II, who have lived in Japan since birth, are almost foreigners. But what is really stopping them from starting to recruit such minorities into the military? Nothing.
As for personnel, the shortage in case of war is solved by mobilization measures, and for the navy to recruit several thousand sailors in an island country that literally lives by the sea is not a problem at all. We can safely guarantee that by the time Japan enters hostilities, if it is not a surprise to Japanese society, the manning of all types of their self-defense forces will be brought to 100%.
What really raises questions is Japan’s ability to build reserves over the long term to offset losses. But all developed countries have serious problems with this. And besides, it will still have to reach the point where such reserves become necessary to the enemies of the Japanese. Which, given the Japanese capabilities, is not guaranteed.
Summarizing, let’s say that Japan has problems with recruiting troops. But by the time they really begin to affect the combat readiness of the units of the permanent readiness of the Self-Defense Forces, a long time will pass – tens of years.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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