Japan’s Self-Defense Forces Face 27,000 Personnel Shortage Despite ¥9 Trillion Budget

A 900-billion-yen budget, yet a severe shortage of Self-Defense Force personnel

Amid increasingly severe international conditions, Japan is rapidly increasing its defense-related spending. The FY2026 defense budget has exceeded 9 trillion yen, reaching 9,035.3 billion yen (an increase of 334.9 billion yen from the previous fiscal year). Of this, personnel costs—including salaries, retirement benefits, and meals in barracks—amount to 2,389.7 billion yen (up 38.9 billion yen year-on-year). While the budget remained around 5 trillion yen about a decade ago, it has been increasing at an accelerated pace since FY2023.

While budgets and equipment are being expanded, a serious shortage of Self-Defense Force personnel is worsening. The FY2025 Defense White Paper states that securing personnel is an urgent issue, with overall staffing levels at only about 90% of the target. The authorized strength has remained at 247,000 over the past 10 years, but actual personnel numbers have stayed in the 220,000 range. Although it temporarily exceeded 230,000 in FY2020 and FY2021, it has since declined again, reaching 220,000 in FY2024.

Hiroyasu Kawakami, a former Rear Admiral and senior researcher at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, commented:

“Maintaining the authorized strength is important.”

As a general benchmark for defense capability, all countries closely monitor the situation in neighboring states and must consider the opponent’s capabilities when discussing their own. For example, China far surpasses Japan in both defense spending and manpower. Because some Chinese figures are not publicly disclosed, it is estimated that the scale differs by nearly an order of magnitude compared to Japan.

Even so, the reality remains that Self-Defense Force personnel are not coming in sufficient numbers. Kawakami lamented the situation:

“We want to increase personnel under a severe security environment, but no matter how much we recruit, people simply do not come. There is nothing we can do.”

Due to the impact of Japan’s declining population, there are also reports that the government and ruling coalition are considering reducing the authorized number of Self-Defense Force personnel (Asahi Shimbun, March 27).

“Even window screens are missing!” Harsh realities of military housing

As the pool of eligible recruits shrinks due to declining birthrates, the Ministry of Defense is shifting toward carefully explaining the duties and roles of the Self-Defense Forces and recruiting individuals with strong commitment. It is expanding its recruitment targets beyond high school graduates to include university graduates, women, and mid-career hires. At the same time, it is advancing efforts such as improving operational efficiency, outsourcing, and extending the retirement age to make better use of existing personnel.

“Until now we mainly recruited people around 18 or 20, but now we are also trying to recruit older individuals and increase the number of women. We cannot defend the country unless many people join who can develop experience and knowledge from a young age. At the same time, we are extending the retirement age.”

The Ministry of Defense is also working to improve working conditions in order to increase applicants and reduce resignations. Kawakami also stresses that economic stability and alleviating concerns about post-retirement life are essential, stating that conditions must be improved. According to him, salaries for Self-Defense Forces personnel have been gradually increasing.

Living conditions are another key issue. While the Ministry of Defense is working to improve military housing, Kawakami suggests that renting private apartments may be a better option than building new facilities. Reflecting on his own experience, he said:

“Military housing had no window screens, no ventilation fans, and no toilet lids. Even fluorescent light bulbs had to be carried around during transfers. I hope at least these basic things are provided. At the same time, military housing needs repairs, but repair costs are high. Private apartments often already come equipped with air conditioning and other amenities.”

When Self-Defense Force personnel are designated as emergency response personnel, they must be able to assemble within 30 minutes on foot. Using private apartments in those designated areas would be more convenient and efficient. Kawakami emphasized that creating a livable environment for personnel is also important.

No need for conscription! Utilizing naturalized human resources

As a more far-reaching measure to secure Self-Defense Force personnel, Kawakami proposes the following:

“We may need to include foreigners as part of the recruitment pool.”

Here, foreigners refers only to naturalized Japanese citizens. The idea assumes that they would mainly be assigned to rear support roles rather than front-line combat duties. Japan is already expanding acceptance of foreign workers in fields such as manufacturing, services, agriculture, and nursing care to address severe labor shortages. In the field of national defense as well, there may come a time when reliance on naturalized personnel becomes unavoidable. In fact, other countries reportedly already employ foreign nationals in their armed forces.

Looking globally, South Korea maintains conscription, while France—having once abolished it—has reintroduced a limited form of national service. However, Kawakami argues that conscription does not suit Japan, adding that countries that have adopted it are struggling with its implementation.

Compared with professional soldiers who volunteer and undergo training, conscripted personnel tend to show wide variation in capability. Instead, he suggests that it may be more beneficial for the country as a whole if civilians working in fields such as electricity, communications, and agriculture continue to perform their roles reliably even in emergencies.

What is most important for ensuring national security?

“If the awareness of defending the country spreads across the entire population, it itself becomes a deterrent. Once a national defense mindset takes root, conscription is unnecessary. People will naturally begin to protect their own communities.”

The ultimate deterrent: Reserve Self-Defense Forces

As an example of strong community defense awareness, Kawakami points to Estonia, which he visited. The country has citizen-soldiers who reportedly store weapons and ammunition at home.

“Rather than defending the country as a whole, ordinary housewives were throwing hand grenades during drills to defend their own towns.”

Although Estonia, with its land borders and direct exposure to threats, differs greatly from island-nation Japan, there is a realistic model of civilian participation in defense: the Reserve Self-Defense Forces.

This system allows civilians to work in ordinary jobs while supporting the SDF in emergencies. They undergo five days of annual training (including basic drills on the second day and shooting practice and evaluation on the third, according to the Ministry of Defense website) and are mobilized during contingencies or disasters to perform base security and logistical support roles.

However, even here, the issue of fill rate remains. The reserve force has a target strength of 47,900 personnel, but in recent years the actual number has remained around 33,000. Kawakami stresses that not only active-duty personnel but also reserve forces must be fully staffed. Increasing the number of volunteers requires understanding and cooperation from employers, families, and local communities.

Ultimately, raising public awareness of emergencies, steadily increasing both active and reserve personnel, and deepening understanding of the Self-Defense Forces will contribute to Japan’s deterrence capability and improve disaster response readiness.