Ground Self-Defense Force Member Alleges Power Harassment and Forced Dangerous Dance Practice

It has become clear that there is an increasing number of personnel wishing to retire from the 1st Airborne Brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, a unit known for its high-intensity training and elite missions. The reason for this increase is the forced practice of dance outside of working hours in preparation for the annual “Unit Dance Competition” held during the summer festival.

 

Elite members of Japan’s only airborne unit, feeling angered by their working conditions, have sent a complaint to the author through contacts. The content of the complaint is as follows:

 

“Younger soldiers at the Narashino Garrison have been forced to practice dance for the summer festival on weekends and outside of work hours, despite it being their supposed days off. These excellent soldiers, who joined the defense forces with a sense of purpose, are unable to tolerate being coerced into dance practice, which they approach with anything but enthusiasm. This has led to a sharp increase in retirement requests.

 

The imposition of dance practice outside of working hours began because the battalion commander, who oversees the 1st Airborne Brigade, declared, ‘We performed poorly in last year’s summer festival dance competition, so this summer we must win!’ This trivial reason triggered the additional practice. Winning this dance competition does not affect promotions; it’s merely a topic for post-festival drinking parties among battalion commanders, used as a conversation piece. It is an outdated practice, but unfortunately, the supervisors’ sensibilities are numb, and we can no longer expect self-regulation within the unit.” 

 

A current member stationed at the Narashino Garrison expressed their frustration with the situation:

 

“Self-Defense Force personnel are forced to live in a communal environment. Already restricted in our freedoms, now even our precious personal time is taken away by work. I want to use my valuable life time for myself. It’s hard to have that precious time taken away like a slave.”

 

The summer festival dance competition held on August 3 this year featured around 10 teams, each consisting of about 20 members. Teams showcased a variety of dance styles, from hip-hop to bon odori, and were judged by their respective unit leaders. While the Narashino Garrison’s summer festival is open to the public and many personnel voluntarily enjoy the event, some members were coerced into extra practice for the dance competition. What was this practice like?

 

“External instructors were brought in, and practices were scheduled for one to two hours after duty hours and even on Sundays, which are supposed to be days off. Although it was supposedly voluntary participation, there was no guarantee of compensatory leave. Despite protesting that ‘if it’s voluntary, those who don’t want to participate shouldn’t have to,’ our objections were not accepted. In reality, participation was effectively mandatory.” (Narashino Garrison member)

The author also obtained a video of the practice scenes for this year’s dance competition, which included some dangerously risky moves that were quite alarming.

1. Three people form a circle and raise their hands. One member stands on their hands, strikes a high pose, and then is thrown and caught by the group.
2. A large number of people form a circle, with another circle of people standing on their shoulders, and then they stand up.

In particular, for (1), there are many scenes where the team member thrown into the center is about to fall because the team members waiting below are unable to support them. For (2), there are also scenes where the team members who have stood up lose their balance. 

They were practicing techniques that could lead to serious injuries if something went wrong, but the dance practice itself was carried out without orders and was thus considered something done “freely during their own time.” Here are some of the complaints from current team members:

“There is a lack of safety management. What will happen if someone gets injured? I believe it’s something that could happen.”

“Please don’t take it for granted that you can impose restrictions outside of official duties.”

“If it’s a mission, we will respond 24/7, but if it’s not, we should adhere to working hours.”

An ex-Self-Defense Forces (SDF) member explains:

 

“If general orders (commonly referred to as ‘banmei’) or official orders, such as a command order, are issued for dance practice, meaning there is an ‘official order document,’ then the members must follow that order for the dance training. However, without such orders or documents, it cannot be enforced. Moreover, if the dance practice was not ordered, there is a high likelihood that compensation for injuries (work-related accidents) cannot be processed.”

 

If superiors issued no formal orders and effectively forced dangerous dance practice outside of official work hours, it would unfortunately be considered power harassment.

 

According to current members, there is no confirmation of general orders (order documents) being issued. Additionally, another ex-SDF member reveals:

 

“There are no precedents for high-intensity dance practice, but accidents occurring during off-duty competitions, such as rugby, have not been recognized as official duties. Many members have been injured and forced into early retirement without compensation.”

 

The combination of concerns about lack of compensation for fatal injuries during dance practice and the acceptance of such conditions without question has led to an increase in mid-career resignations.

FRIDAY Digital asked the Narashino Garrison if such dangerous dance practice outside of working hours was truly being forced. They also asked if injuries sustained during the competitive dance event would be recognized as a work-related injury. The following response was received:

 

“For the event itself, we issued daily orders; however, the practice for the inter-unit festival was voluntary participation by the personnel outside of working hours, and participation was not compulsory.”

 

“While the garrison summer festival was carried out as part of official duties, the ‘competitive dance event’ in question was planned and executed by the non-commissioned officers’ association, a social organization, and the personnel participated voluntarily. Therefore, it is understood that injuries sustained during the event would not be recognized as work-related injuries. 

 Furthermore, the intensity of the exercise is comparable to that of general public performances, not high-level performances such as cheerleading, and we do not believe that the ‘competitive dance event’ poses particularly high risks. Additionally, no complaints of ‘forced participation’ directed at the battalion commander have been confirmed.” 

 

Furthermore, when asked, “If dangerous dance practice was forced on personnel outside of work hours, wouldn’t this be considered power harassment?” the Ground Staff Office Public Relations Department responded:

 

“We have received a report from Narashino Garrison that the prior practices and the inter-unit festival on the day were voluntary participation by personnel, and no complaints of forced participation have been confirmed.”

 

However, personnel who were allegedly forced to practice for the dance expressed their anger at the responses from the Narashino Garrison Public Relations Team and the Ground Staff Office:

 

“This response was given without any investigation into the personnel, and it does not reflect the feelings of those of us who were forced to participate.”

 

If the personnel’s statements are true, it would mean that the Narashino Garrison Public Relations Team reported to the Ground Staff Office without conducting any interviews with the personnel. Moreover, according to multiple sources, after FRIDAY Digital sent its inquiry, the personnel were instructed not to share any “unnecessary information” with outsiders. This raises the suspicion that Narashino Garrison may be attempting to conceal the facts by not interviewing personnel, and such accusations would not be unfounded.

 

Additionally, during the dance competition, there was a performance called the “tower,” which is similar to formations used in elementary and middle school gymnastics, where accidents such as “spinal injuries, limb amputations, and vision impairments” have occurred frequently. There was even a move where the person at the top of the tower was thrown into the air and caught by the personnel below. 

 

According to the Narashino Garrison’s response, “We do not consider the event to be particularly dangerous,” yet some active-duty personnel feel their safety is at risk. One of them said, “There is insufficient safety management. What would happen if someone gets injured? I believe we’re doing something risky enough to warrant concern.” While rigorous safety measures are expected during combat training, which is the Self-Defense Forces’ primary duty, is it acceptable to expose personnel to the risk of injury in a competitive dance event where accidents would not be recognized as work-related injuries? Given this situation, it’s understandable that the number of mid-career resignations might increase.

 

On July 8th, the Ministry of Defense announced that the recruitment fulfillment rate for Self-Defense Force personnel in fiscal 2023 had reached an all-time low of 51%. Although they had aimed to recruit 19,598 personnel, only 9,959 were successfully hired, falling below 10,000 for the first time. While significantly increasing the defense budget is necessary, improving the working environment within the Self-Defense Forces itself should be an urgent priority.