<![CDATA[Wi-fi warships: Japan's plan to lure millennials to the military]>

As it struggles to attract sufficient numbers of young recruits, Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force has come up with a novel solution: increasing internet access on its warships to make it easier for a generation that has never been without mobile phones to get online while at sea.

At present, crew members have limited access to the internet from specific parts of their ships, primarily due to security concerns. Senior MSDF officers have decided, however, to expand Wi-fi access to allow off-duty crew members to log on from their sleeping bunks or communal areas such as mess halls, The Mainichi newspaper reported.

The prime reason behind the decision is to attract new recruits to a service that is already seriously undermanned and does not appeal to many young people, sources told the newspaper.

All three arms of Japan's self-defence forces have failed to reach their recruitment targets for the last five years, with the overall recruitment figure in 2018 a mere 70 per cent of what was required. The situation was particularly serious in the MSDF, where the number of new recruits was just 60 per cent of the target.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyers JS Murasame and JS Akebono take part in a military drill. Photo: AP alt=Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyers JS Murasame and JS Akebono take part in a military drill. Photo: AP

"There are a lot of reasons young people do not want to go into the services today," said Hiromi Murakami, a professor of political science at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.

"Because of the controversy surrounding the constitution and Japan's right to have a military, many young Japanese do not have pride in serving the nation in the forces," she said.

Under Article Nine of the constitution, introduced after Japan's defeat in World War II, the country only has defensive military capabilities, although there is growing debate about the role and responsibilities of the Self-Defence Forces. There is also a movement among conservative politicians, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to revise the constitution to give Japan more leeway in how it uses its military.

"It's a very different attitude to young people in the US, for example, where there is still a sense of pride in serving," said Murakami.

A helicopter prepares to land on the flight deck of the MSDF destroyer Izumo, in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo. Photo: AP alt=A helicopter prepares to land on the flight deck of the MSDF destroyer Izumo, in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo. Photo: AP

"Another issue is Japan's falling birth rate, which means that there are a lot of options in terms of jobs available to young people and they can choose what they want to do more than before," she said.

The younger generation also see little appeal in being ordered about, working irregular hours often far from family and friends, and in a job that is inherently dangerous.

"Many of the children of this generation have been spoiled by their parents but they also give up on tasks or ambitions far too easily, which makes it difficult for them to choose a career such as the MSDF," she said.

The series of major natural disasters Japan has experienced in the last decade has also contributed to young people shunning the services, Murakami pointed out.

After the magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, for example, the military was dispatched on search and rescue operations in northeast Japan. But those very quickly turned into the recovery of the remains of thousands of people who had died in the disaster.

In years gone by, the Tohoku region traditionally supplied a large number of recruits to Japan's armed forces, but this has fallen below the national average since people there saw what the duties entailed in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Parents lay flowers for their missing children while soldiers assist in recovery efforts after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Photo: AFP alt=Parents lay flowers for their missing children while soldiers assist in recovery efforts after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Photo: AFP

The MSDF was reportedly prompted to act after the crew of the helicopter carrier Izumo complained to officers about internet access after a deployment to the Philippines last summer.

Warships will be upgraded for improved internet access in the coming months and crews will be able to communicate with the outside world via a dedicated, secure website. Officials have insisted the move will not impact the security of the warships.

The MSDF confirmed it is also considering allowing women to serve on submarines, but that no final decision has been made.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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