JAPAN
DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS
CURRENT STATE OF: MILITARY, TECHNOLOGY, MILITARY HISTORY, SAFETY AND GEOGRAPHY
This is just a current statement on the state of the Japanese military. We are subcategorized into the Ministry of Defense, Ground Self-Defense Force, Maritime Self-Defense Force and Air Self-Defense Force. Our Self-Defense forces, also known as the Jieitai, which was created shortly after the United States deployed out of Japan at the conclusion of World War II, remains as one of the most technologically advanced armed forces in the world. As the 1960’s Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security states, American military bases are allowed in Japan. Most of these bases reside on Okinawa. It continues to stand that the age to serve in the military is 18 and it is on a voluntary basis. We currently have 27,461,338 males and 26,478,466 women ages 16-49 serving. Right now only 0.8% of our GDP is being put towards military expenditures.
Although we have not participated in major combat since being defeated in WWII, during that war we displayed significant advances in military technology, strategy and tactics. The United States of America forced our hand in surrendering after they dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now there is the Three Non-Nuclear Principles pledge that we will not possess, produce or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons into the country. The Atomic Energy Basic Law only allows peaceful nuclear activities.
Even though we do not have a ballistic missile development program, our space program includes many technologies that could be applied to long-range missiles. Our solid-fueled M-5 rocket system that was first launched in 1995 includes sophisticated technologies that could be applied elsewhere. We have partnered with the United States to research ballistic missile defenses but we have not made a final decision on the future development and deployment. It is a controversial topic because many believe that a missile defense system would compliment the United State’s nuclear deterrent and help us defend ourselves from countries such as North Korea. The other side of this argument is that the cost of the system would outweigh the benefits because the system’s effectiveness is not fully proven.
We are proud to say that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. The National Public Safety Commission, located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, continues to work to maintain public order while keeping our crime rate very low. Japan is comprised of 377,915 square kilometers with 29,751 kilometers of coastline. There are several thousand little islands that make up Japan, but the four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. They are separated by narrow straits and form a natural entity. The land is mostly rugged and mountainous. There are mountain ranges running through each of the main islands, which leaves little flat land to exist. Japan is a located in a volcanic zone so there are frequent low intensity earth tremors and the occasional volcanic activity, which could be felt throughout the islands.
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