Japan is spending trillions on modern defense hardware—but who will operate it?

While the Defence of Japan 2026 white paper highlights ambitious spending and technological pivots, Japan’s defense expansion faces a critical bottleneck: a severe military personnel shortage.

With a rapidly shrinking youth population, a competitive private job market, and persistent recruitment shortfalls,this brief argues that Japan’s strategic pivot will remain incomplete without deep institutional reform: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/japan-s-defence-reorientation-hinges-on-personnel-reform