Ishiba Vows to Craft Plans for SDF Personnel Treatment This Year

Tokyo, Oct. 25 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Friday that the government will compile broad plans by the end of the year to improve the treatment of Self-Defense Forces personnel.

Measures in the plans, possibly including higher wages and greater support for finding jobs after retirement, will be included in the government's fiscal 2025 budget, Ishiba said at a ministerial meeting.

"We will help SDF personnel to devote themselves to extremely important duties for the country with pride and honor," he said.

In his inaugural parliamentary policy speech on Oct. 4, Ishiba unveiled a plan to establish a ministerial conference to discuss ways to improve the living and working environments of SDF personnel as well as how they are treated.

The actual number of SDF personnel is only about 90 pct of the figure of some 247,000 needed to carry out missions. In fiscal 2023, which ended last March, the number of new recruits was only 51 pct of the target.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]