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No magic bullet will fix Japan’s soldier shortage, experts say, urging wide military reforms
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Conscription is unconstitutional in Japan, attrition rates are high, and the SDF has failed to meet its annual recruitment targets in recent years.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – Japan’s ambition of becoming a more formidable fighting force is under threat by one inconvenient truth: There are just not enough boots on the ground.
This is not for the want of trying. Self-Defence Forces (SDF) recruitment ads run the gamut from manga character posters to cinematic commercials.
