It looks like the Japanese military is experiencing a growth in female recruits:
COHEN YOUNG/U.S. AIR FORCE
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces are considering new female training units to accommodate an influx of female recruits that is expected to continue to climb in the coming years, Japanese media reported this week.
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The island nation is finding it increasingly difficult to accept female recruits with its existing units stretched to capacity, the Jiji Press news agency reported, citing sources with knowledge of the deliberations.
As a result, the Self-Defense Forces are considering the addition of new units across the country to accommodate recruits in all three service branches.
Here are some statistical facts about females in the Japanese military:
The Ground Self-Defense Force mainly holds female recruit training at Camp Asaka in Saitama prefecture, Jiji said. It too is considering the formation of a new unit to relieve the pressure on Asaka, but further details were unavailable.
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The Self-Defense Forces have gone from 144 female servicemembers in its inaugural year, 1954, to more than 15,000 as of March 2018, or 6.5 percent of the total force, according to its website. That number is up 1.6 percent since 2008 and continues to climb, the Defense Ministry’s 2018 white paper added.
The ministry plans to eliminate quotas and raise the number of female servicemembers to more than 9 percent by 2030.
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