We're Not Alone: Japan's Self-Defense Forces Facing Recruiting Shortfall

In fact, Japan's shortfall may be worse: according to an article at the Asahi Shimbun, "the SDF's new enlistment rate in fiscal 2023 sank to a record low 50.8 percent of its target." The article contends that the reason are a couple of scandals involving the SDF ground forces, and general competition with the private sectors for the same people. When I lived in Japan in the late 1980s, the SDF was generally looked down upon by most Japanese--a consequence and reaction to the militarism of the first half of the 20th Century. I imagine that not much has changed. Combine that with a population that has been declining in size since 2008 and, of course, they are not going to have enough people to fill open slots.