By Keita Nakamura,
A series of scandals concerning the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Defense Ministry, which resulted in the resignation of Japan's top admiral on Friday, has dealt a blow to the government that plans to significantly increase national defense spending.
The cases of misconduct have eroded public trust in the SDF, possibly further slowing the pace of tax hikes to finance the swelling defense costs and negatively affecting the nation's deepening security collaboration with foreign countries, scholars said.
On July 12, the ministry announced disciplinary actions against 218 SDF members and senior bureaucrats, including 113 linked with the mishandling of "specially designated secrets," such as tasking unqualified destroyer crew with handling classified information.
"Our understanding of managing the secrets was totally insufficient," Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said at a press conference when he announced the rare mass punishment.
The other scandals involved accusations of abuse of power, fraudulent receipt of allowances for diving duties, and not paying for food and drink from base cafeterias. On Thursday, the Maritime Self-Defense Force said four of its members were arrested last year on suspicion of improperly receiving the diving benefits.
Then Adm. Ryo Sakai, chief of staff of the MSDF, got a pay cut, while Vice Defense Minister Kazuo Masuda and four other top uniformed officers were admonished for their inadequate control and supervision over those serving under them.
Except for the abuse of power incidents and a portion of the information mishandling cases, the scandals were found within the MSDF, prompting Sakai to decide to step down to take responsibility.
Although the misconduct incidents occurred separately, Sakai has said they had common root causes of "lack of compliance among the troops and governance ability" within the SDF and its "organizational culture," which includes deliberately overlooking internal wrongdoing.
The moves come as the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seeks to drastically boost Japan's defense budget, partly through tax increases that require broad public understanding, as it faces mounting security challenges from China, North Korea and Russia.
Under three key security documents revised in 2022, Tokyo aims to nearly double annual defense outlays to about 2 percent of gross domestic product in five years through fiscal 2027 by allocating a total of 43 trillion yen ($273 billion) from fiscal 2023.
Meanwhile, Kishida's Cabinet, whose approval ratings have plunged to their lowest levels since he took office in October 2021, has shelved decisions on the timeline for tax raises, which are unlikely to start by the end of next year.
The recent spate of SDF blunders may further delay the schedule, as opposition parties have been intensifying their attacks on the government's tax hike policy.
Kenta Izumi, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said Kishida "should consider backing down on his plan to raise taxes for higher national defense costs," as the scandals have "undermined public confidence" in the SDF.
Izumi has also criticized Kishida's government for leaving unused around 130 billion yen from the over 6.8 trillion yen that was earmarked for the defense budget for fiscal 2023, which ended in March this year.
Hideo Kumano, executive chief economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, said the government should provide more justification for increasing the tax burden on citizens for the defense budget that is "expected to rise in the long term."
"People will cast a sterner eye on defense expenditures, so it would be better to have a national debate again on whether such a huge budget is truly needed," Kumano added.
Noboru Yamaguchi, a visiting professor at the International University of Japan, warned that if the SDF's credibility regarding confidentiality is questioned due to the scandals, it might harm the nation's alliance with the United States and its defense partnerships with others.
Amid China's growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region and Russia's protracted invasion of Ukraine, Japan has been ramping up security cooperation not only with the United States but also with other like-minded countries such as Australia, Britain and the Philippines.
Yamaguchi, a former lieutenant general of the Ground Self-Defense Force, underscored the importance of promptly and firmly addressing inadequate practices when detected, as this would help rebuild trust in the Japanese government among its citizens and other nations.
Related coverage:
Japan's top admiral steps down as SDF hit by scandals
4 Japan MSDF members arrested for falsely receiving diving allowances
218 SDF members, defense bureaucrats disciplined over scandals
