Resurgent militarism!
(Shanghai Star)
Updated: 2004-02-13 08:56

Umihilo, a Japanese law student, wants to join the army.

"I love my country," said the slender 21-year-old, sporting a baseball cap worn sideways and shoulder-length hair. "It's where my friends are, and my family. I want to protect them."

His sentiments, unremarkable in many nations, signal an extraordinary change in Japan, where the military has been regarded warily by many with bitter memories of World War II.

Even as Japanese troops leave for Iraq on their riskiest mission in six decades, a growing number of youths are thinking about military careers.

Fumihiko, who declined to give his surname, was unfazed by the possibility that he, too, could one day be sent to a virtual war zone like Iraq.

"It hasn't changed my mind at all," he said.

Fumihiko and others like him face steep competition to realize their dream of becoming officers in the Self-Defence Force (SDF), as Japan's military is known.

In fiscal 2002, 10,929 people applied for 252 spots as general and technical officer candidates in all branches of the military - a ratio of 43.4 for each spot. Twenty years before that, a mere 2,131 applied for 174 officer slots.

Officials say that while Japan's economic blues and tough job market are playing a role in this new popularity, a positive shift in public views of the military has also been crucial.

"When I joined the Defence Ministry in 1983, I was surrounded by people saying it was a bad idea. I wasn't even a soldier," said Kenichi Takahashi, head of the ministry's personnel division.

"Now it's different. Those people have really decreased."

Japan's constitution renounces the right to wage war and, if strictly interpreted, bans the maintenance of a military, but the Self-Defence Forces are comparable in terms of spending and manpower to Britain's military.

Rising profile

Founded 50 years ago, the SDF stayed at home for much of that time because of the constitution and worries about fanning Asian neighbours' fears of resurgent Japanese militarism - a concern shared by some Japanese as well.

But a rising profile due to its role in domestic disaster relief, such as the massive 1995 earthquake in Kobe that left thousands dead, has bolstered the SDF's appeal to many young people looking for a way to contribute to society.

Interest rose further after 1992, when a new law allowed Japanese forces to serve in UN-led peacekeeping operations.

In 1992, 90,932 people applied for 20,209 positions. Five years later, 149,636 applied for 15,766 jobs.

Fumihiko, who has wanted to join the SDF since he was a high school student, said the chance to contribute to international society through such operations was one of the attractions.

"There's a sense of satisfaction. You can do things."

His parents, worried about his safety, opposed his ambitions at first. Now they support him enough to pay for the course he is taking at a Tokyo cram school - at a cost of up to 352,000 yen (US$3,340) - to pass an officer candidate exam.

"My girlfriend worries a bit," he said. "But she hasn't tried to stop me."

Job security

The SDF's main draw as an employer until now has been job security, with most positions - like those of other civil service jobs - immune to the restructuring that has slashed jobs across the private sector in recent years.

"Good economic times are tough (for recruitment)," Takahashi said, adding the rise in applicants after Japan began taking part in UN missions also coincided with a chillier economic climate.

Steep competition has prompted some, like Fumihiko, to enrol in private courses such as the one offered since 1996 by W Seminar, a Tokyo cram school.

The course, one of many that prepare students for employment exams, lasts from six months to a year and covers subjects from English to economics to Japanese law, but no physical training.

"It's pretty popular," said Shinichiro Tanabe, a W Seminar adviser, who said 60 to 70 per cent of those who take the course pass the exam.

It remains to be seen how the prospect of more dangerous missions will affect the way people look at a military career.

"Up to now, the SDF has been very safe. It hasn't taken part in wars," Tanabe said. "But now, they've really come to resemble the armies of other nations ... and we're interested in finding out if people's perceptions will change."