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Japan - Military Personnel

The Self-Defense Forces face a chronic manpower shortage. The fixed number of personnel in the Self-Defense Forces is 247,154 (FY2021). Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Defense, the actual number of personnel is 230,754 as of the end of FY2021. The fulfillment rate for the fixed number is 93.3%. The fulfillment rate has been consistently in the low 90% range for the past 10 years. With the declining birthrate and aging population, there is no prospect of improvement in the near future. Meanwhile, the Self-Defense Forces' missions are diversifying, including responding to China's increasing maritime expansion, North Korea's repeated launches of ballistic missiles, and successive disasters.

The National Defense Program Guidelines state that the core of defense power is the personnel of the Self-Defense Forces, and that securing personnel and improving their capabilities and morale are essential to strengthening defense power. These issues have become urgent issues due to the rapid progress of population decline and an aging society, and from the perspective of the sustainability and resilience of defense power, it states that it is necessary to promote the strengthening of the human base that supports defense power more than ever before.

In order for the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces to carry out their various missions appropriately, it is essential to secure high-quality human resources. While the public's expectations of the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces are rising, the recruitment environment for Self-Defense Force personnel is in a difficult situation due to factors such as a declining birthrate and a trend toward higher education. In this situation, the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces need to carefully explain to potential recruits the Self-Defense Forces' missions, roles, job content, welfare, and treatment, and to recruit excellent human resources who have a firm desire to join the force.

For this reason, in addition to holding information sessions at schools, the Ministry of Defense and the SDF have set up SDF Local Cooperation Headquarters in 50 locations nationwide, and are able to respond to the needs of individual applicants with the understanding of school officials and the cooperation of recruitment counselors. Local governments are required to carry out some of the administrative work related to the recruitment of SDF personnel and SDF candidate personnel, including public notices of recruitment periods and other matters, and the Ministry of Defense bears the costs involved. In addition, the Ministry of Defense is strengthening cooperation with local governments and other organizations to obtain the necessary cooperation, including the submission of information on recruits required for the smooth execution of recruitment-related work.

SDF personnel are recruited according to various categories under a volunteer system based on the free will of each individual. In order to secure a wider range of diverse human resources, including those with experience working in the private sector, the upper age limit for recruiting SDF personnel was raised from "under 27 years old" to "under 33 years old" in 2018. Furthermore, in order to improve the quality of term-limited SDF personnel (SDF candidate personnel) and to secure human resources with diverse backgrounds and abilities, the SDF candidate examination will be reviewed from 2020.

Due to the unique nature of their work, SDF personnel are managed differently from general civil servants in terms of personnel management, with most personnel retiring in their mid-50s under an "early retirement system" and appointments of two or three years in a term that takes into consideration the knowledge, experience, and physical strength required for the job at each rank, in order to maintain the strength of the SDF. After being recruited, they undergo basic training at each SDF training unit or school, after which their job type is determined based on their preferences and aptitude, and they serve in units across the country.

In the event of an emergency, the number of SDF personnel required must be met as quickly as possible depending on the progression of the situation. In order to secure the required number of personnel quickly and in a planned manner, Japan has established three systems2: reserve SDF personnel, ready reserve SDF personnel, and reserve candidate SDF personnel.

Reserve members become SDF personnel upon receiving a defense mobilization order and serve as personnel in the rear support and base security roles. Ready reserve members become SDF personnel upon receiving a defense mobilization order and serve as members of front-line units alongside active duty SDF personnel. Reserve candidate members are recruited from among those with no prior experience as SDF personnel, and are appointed as reserve members after completing education and training.

Since reserve SDF members are normally engaged in various jobs, they need to adjust their work schedules to participate in regular training, etc., so the understanding and cooperation of the companies that employ them is essential.

For this reason, the Ministry of Defense provides the "Ready Reserve Employment Subsidy" to companies that take necessary measures to ensure that the Ready Reserve JSDF personnel, who are required to train 30 days a year, can participate in training with peace of mind, taking into consideration the burden of such companies. In addition, in 2017, a framework was established for the Ministry of Defense and the SDF to provide information requested by the employers of reserve or ready reserve JSDF personnel, such as the planned period of training call-up and the planned period of time when reserve or ready reserve personnel will be called up for actual operation and become SDF personnel, and in 2018, a new "Employment Company Cooperation Ensuring Subsidy" system was established to provide benefits to employers to help ensure understanding and cooperation for the duties of reserve or ready reserve JSDF personnel when they (1) respond to call-ups for defense deployment, civil protection dispatch, disaster dispatch, etc., or (2) are forced to leave their main jobs due to injuries incurred in the line of duty during call-ups.

Furthermore, in 2020, a new system called the "Ready Reserve SDF Training Cooperation Grant" was established to provide grants to companies that take the necessary measures to ensure that individuals with no experience in the SDF are appointed as reserve SDF officers through the reserve officer candidate position, undergo certain education and training, and are appointed as ready reserve SDF officers, to ensure that such ready reserve SDF officers can participate in the education and training with peace of mind.

In order to secure a wider variety of human resources from a wider range of demographics, the recruitment and appointment standards were expanded in 2018, and the upper age limit for recruiting reserve officers at the rank of sergeant or below was raised from "under 37" to "under 55," and the upper age limit for continued appointment from "under 61" to "under 62." In addition, for those with medical qualifications, no upper age limit was set, and continued appointment was permitted only after confirmation that their medical skills were properly maintained and there was no hindrance to the duties of the reserve officer. For ready reserve officers, the upper age limit for recruiting reserve officers at the rank of sergeant or below was raised from "under 32" to "under 50."

In addition to SDF personnel, the Ministry of Defense and the SDF employs approximately 21,000 administrative officers, technical officers, instructors, etc. as members9 . The Ministry of Defense primarily hires people who pass the National Civil Service Examination for Comprehensive Career and National Civil Service General Examination administered by the National Personnel Authority, and the Ministry of Defense Specialist Staff Examination administered by the Ministry of Defense. After being hired, they undergo common training and then perform duties in a variety of fields.