Japan passes legislation facilitating public employees' concurrent service as SDF reserve personnel
Tokyo, June 11
Japan's House of Councillors has passed legislation facilitating the concurrent service of national and local public employees as reserve personnel of the Self-Defence Forces, lowering barriers to their mobilisation in emergency situations, local media reported.
The legislation was passed on Wednesday, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting Kyodo News.
According to the Act on Special Provisions for Concurrent Employment of National and Local Public Employees to Ensure the Smooth Execution of Duties by Self-Defence Force Reserve Personnel and Others, national and local public employees who are called up for SDF reserve personnel training will continue to receive their full pay from their regular jobs during the period of responding to a call-up.
In addition, once public employees obtain approval from their supervisors when they become reserve personnel, they will no longer be required to seek approval each time they participate in training or undertake related duties in the future.
The Self-Defence Forces reserve personnel normally work in their civilian occupations and are required to participate in training for a certain number of days each year. Currently, about 70 per cent of the Self-Defence Forces reserve positions are filled.
Japan has sought to strengthen the so-called "defence capabilities" through the enactment and revision of laws in recent months.
On Tuesday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party approved a draft proposal on revising the country's three key security documents within the year.
The proposal not only called for further increases in defence spending but also urged raising the manning rate of the Self-Defence Forces reserve personnel to prepare for contingencies. These developments have sparked widespread public concern.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting move by Japan. They've been quite pacifist since WWII, so seeing this shift is significant. Though I appreciate their defence needs, I wonder if this could escalate tensions in the Indo-Pacific. India should strengthen its own defence diplomacy simultaneously.
Honestly, this is a smart policy from Japan's perspective. But as an Indian, I'm concerned about the message it sends to China and other neighbours. We should engage diplomatically with Japan while preparing our own defence capabilities. Also, 70% fill rate is quite low - India can learn from their reserve management.
Japan's defence posture is evolving rapidly. We've seen similar trends globally - everyone is strengthening their military. India must not lag behind. But I wish there was more transparency from our own government about defence spending and readiness. 😕
As someone who works with Japanese colleagues, I know they take national security very seriously. But this feels like a slow creep towards militarisation. I hope Japan maintains its pacifist principles while ensuring security. India should watch and learn - not necessarily copy.
Japan is now changing its constitution-like stance on defence. This is a significant shift. From an Indian perspective, we need to boost our own defence preparedness and strengthen alliances like Quad. Also, these moves by Japan show why India must modernise its defence forces faster.
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