Japan sacks navy chief amid spate of military scandals

It comes as report again identifies China, N. Korea and Russia as country's top threats

- Walter Sim

Japan again identified China, North Korea and Russia as its top threats in an annual defence report on July 12, though its release was overshadowed by the dismissal of the top navy official amid a spate of scandals.

The 548-page defence White Paper, according to which Japan has found itself in “the most severe and complex security environment of the post-war era”, comes as the Self-Defence Forces (SDF) mark the 70th anniversary of their formation on July 1, 1954.

But the milestone was overshadowed by a spate of military scandals involving financial improprieties and corruption as well as accusations of mishandling state secrets and workplace harassment.

The Defence Ministry said on July 12 that it had punished 218 SDF members and senior bureaucrats, with 11 dismissals, two demotions and 83 suspensions. The rest either received pay cuts, formal reprimands or warnings.

The top navy officer, Admiral Ryo Sakai, was sacked as the scandals had mainly centred on the Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF).

Defence Minister Minoru Kihara said on July 12 that he would voluntarily give up one month’s salary, adding: “The incidents are a betrayal of the public’s trust and should never have happened. I am deeply sorry.”

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in Washington for the Nato summit, also apologised and said he would not replace Mr Kihara.

The scandals threaten to tarnish the SDF’s image even as it struggles to meet recruitment quotas. The Defence Ministry said on July 8 that the SDF hired just 9,959 people in 2023 – or a record low 51 per cent of the targeted 19,598 personnel.

Yet there is no magic bullet to a recruitment problem that will only become more acute amid Japan’s warnings of regional conflict. Japan has no military conscription and only a small reserve force.