Japan moves to raise SDF pay as its forces fill only 88 percent of their posts

Japan's government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are speeding up work on better pay and conditions for members of the Self-Defense Forces, with the aim of writing that commitment into the three national security documents due to be revised at the end of the year, Jiji Press reported on 17 October. The push reflects growing alarm in Tokyo that a shrinking pool of young recruits, driven by the falling birth rate, could stall the country's defence buildup if units cannot be fully staffed.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference on 16 October that, with recruiting conditions getting tougher, persuading people to keep choosing a career in the forces would require better treatment for those now serving as well as an environment in which retired members and their families could live out their lives with pride. He said the government would work to turn that into concrete measures.

The numbers behind the concern are stark. According to the Ministry of Defense, the forces had 217,701 uniformed personnel at the end of March 2026 against an authorised strength of 247,154, a staffing rate of just 88.1 percent. The ministry estimates that if current trends continue, the total would fall to about 180,000 in fiscal 2035 and about 130,000 in fiscal 2045. A senior Ground Self-Defense Force officer told the news agency that the load on each individual member was rising in a way that was weakening the organisation.

Part of the problem is built into the system. To keep units young and physically demanding standards high, the forces use an early retirement scheme under which most members leave in their mid-50s, a rule widely seen as one of the reasons recruitment is difficult.

The government plans to revise the salary table used to set uniformed pay so that it better reflects the particular nature of military missions and working conditions. Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is also championing a plan to create a new agency, provisionally described as a support agency for retired SDF members and their families, in fiscal 2027 to help former personnel find new jobs and settle into civilian life. Koizumi has described the issue as one the whole government needs to tackle.

Lawmakers are pushing in the same direction. On 13 October a group of LDP members held the founding meeting of a parliamentary caucus dedicated to strengthening the human foundation of the forces, with former defence minister Itsunori Onodera as its chair. Onodera said people were the most important asset the forces had and that the group would put particular weight on support after retirement. TBS reported that he also stressed the need for lawmakers to raise the treatment of serving personnel. The caucus intends to send proposals to the government, including a higher retirement age, in time for them to be reflected in the revised security documents.

The debate comes at a sombre moment for the forces. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on 17 October attended the annual memorial ceremony at the Ministry of Defense for members who died in the line of duty, the Sankei Shimbun reported. This year's ceremony honoured 16 members, including personnel who died in April when a shell burst during tank firing training at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Hijudai training area in Oita Prefecture. About 270 relatives attended, and the paper said the number of members who have died on duty since the forces' predecessor, the National Police Reserve, was created now stands at 2,158. Takaichi pledged to carry on their legacy and do everything possible to protect the lives and peaceful livelihoods of the Japanese people.

It is not yet clear whether better pay and veteran support will quickly translate into more recruits, Jiji noted. A senior defence ministry official told the agency that, whatever the outcome, the ministry had little choice but to push labour-saving and efficiency measures, including greater use of unmanned aircraft, to keep the forces' capabilities from eroding.