Japan eyes boosting female enlistment to 13% by 2036AFP, TOKYOJapan wants to significantly boost the number of women in the military by the mid-2030s, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has said, as it struggles to convince young people to enlist. Under a new target set this year, women should account for 13 percent of troops in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) by March 2036, up from 9 percent currently, the ministry said. However, dangerous duties, low pay and a young retirement age of about 56 are off-putting for young Japanese, officials and experts said. In the US, women made up about 18 percent of recruits as of 2023, the US Department of Defense said. Women rarely hold positions in the upper echelons of Japanese politics, business, government and military.

Source: Taipei Times April 08, 2026 18:02 UTC