Army able to call you up for service ?

I'm a 17 year old who wants to move to Japan, but I wan't to know if they have compuslory army service, even if it is only during a war, though I know thats impossible. I'm trying to avoid compulsory subscription you see :-)

There is no compulsory military service in Japan.

Japan doesn't have a real military. She only has the Self Defence Force which is to engage only in self-defence and not aggressively fight in battle. Our law doesn't allow us to participate in any war (hopefully!).

Even if we were to have a compulsory military, I don't think any country can force a person without a domestic nationality be drafted.

You'll only be drafted in your own country.

Are you perhaps saying that your main purpose is to avoid getting drafted, rather than to come to Japan? What is your nationality? If you happen to be a U.S. citizen, I heard from an American that you don't really have to serve the military even though they threaten you by mail. In any case, ask your own countrymen before you start thinking of foreign options.

Some years after of the end of WW2, Japan( then under the militaly occupation of Allies) was obliged to create, by the order of GHQ, a self-serurity forse, which bacame self-defense force later. It is composed of salaried men and some of them were without job. They have special national employee status. As there is no army, there is no national service, even you are naturalised Japanese.

That was never my point, I just wanted to know.

Good luck. Love & Peace.

There is no compulsory military service in the US, and no one thinks that there is. The military does recruit, but not on the basis that serving is required, only by trying to convince people that signing up for the military is a good choice.

Japan doesn't have a real military. She only has the Self Defence Force which is to engage only in self-defence and not aggressively fight in battle. Our law doesn't allow us to participate in any war (hopefully!).

The last thing I ever want to do is disagree with the all-wise Uko, but if you compare military strength, Japan truly does have a real military. It numbers as the 22nd largest military in the world, even larger than the U. K., and at a budget of 50 billion U.S. dollars a year, it's a very well-equipped military at that.

But Japan is in a dangerous neighborhood. With rival China being the world's 2nd largest military and potential enemy North Korea being the world's 5th largest, most people would admit that Japan needs a large force for self protection.

Still... since Japan's military is all volunteer, the original poster does not have to worry about being drafted as a foreigner into the Japanese military. As far as I know, there is no Japanese Foreign Legion.

Remember size doesn't matter sometimes.

The UK has a larger Navy than Japan self defense forces (in terms of tonage and types of warships diployed) (both being island nations having a good sized navy is important).

The UK poses much more "fire power" than Japan when it comes to offensive weaponry. (of couse if we exclude any US involvment in either side)

The UK poses nuclear capabilities as well, Japan does not.

I think what UCO was trying to say is that Overall Japan's "military" is more set forth towards "Self Defense" with the assistance of USA forces than it is for offensive operations (prohibited by law).

Are you arguing that Japan's military isn't a real military? And you back that up because you think the U.K. would win in a theoretical one-on-one confrontation?

Uco said it wasn't a real military. My point is that it is very, very real. It's large, high-tech, well equipped, and well funded. Its non-expiditionary mandate makes it even more effective for its task, not less.

The idea that the JSDF isn't much of a military force is pretty prevalent in Japan, and I doubt that Uco would be alone in that opinion.

Acutally, considering that Japan has two potentially belligerent neighbors with million-plus-troop armies very close by, and both of those countries have populations with a history of fear of a strong Japanese military, it's very good foreign and domestic policy to portray the JSDF as being nothing much.

But it's also good policy to quietly build the JSDF into a first-class (albeit non-nuclear) military force (which they have).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djx2yAVGOKg

I know thats sound pretty, but I got to know. Because I looked into the National Defense Academy and they allow foreign students to attend and even be commissioned as a officer in the JSDF thats if you graduate of course. I might move with some buddies to Japan so I was thinking hay maybe I should look into joining the reserves if it's at all possible beings that am a white Caucasian living in Japan permanently.lol I think it would be something though if I joined the reserves does anyone know if I could join at all as a permanent resident in Japan or maybe a naturalized citizen?

remember this just out of curiosity not all serous about it in less it's possible.

A few flaws in your points.

The National Defense Academy is a four year University-Military Academy, its like the West Point of Japan.
So pretty much to get in as a foreigner you must be in the know , speak, read, write Japanese fluently, and meet rigorous academic criteria.

Moving to Japan with the intent of living there Permanently, doesn't make you a permanent resident, that process can take up to 5-10 years, acquiring citizenship might be more on top of that.

It is my understanding that Japanese Nationality is required to join the JASDF.

Maybe the foreign students that might be found at the National Defense Academy are exchange students from international schools, but return to their home countries at a later point.
By the time you learn Japanese to read,write,speak Japanese, and become a Japanese citizen, you might either be too old or the JSDF misht just won't want you.

btw to get in, I said read,write,speak, have high academic performance, and probably one would have to know a lot of high ranking people to have strings pulled to get in.

First of all, the Boudai will accept foreign students, provided that you get citizenship. How to do that? Well, you have to have lived there for 5 years, and you must renounce your former citizenship. Also, you must have a clean record, and you have to be over the age of 20.

The next problem is that how you enter it. I have seen their example test paper, and guess what? Just as hard (or sometimes harder than Tokyou Uni.) For now, I see no point in joining up, unless you can�ft find any other job, or you are just one of those people who like the military, or if you are a spy. If you prefer military desk work into the Bouei daikakuin, you, after passing the test, will become a Shouho (or something similar and posted to the Sakusen honbu.

First of all, the Boudai will accept foreign students, provided that you get citizenship

Once someone gets citizenship/nationality they are no longer considered a "foreigner" they become Japanese.
So technically speaking, they don't accept foreigners, because you need to be a citizen/national.

By becoming Japanese, I'm speaking in the sense of paperwork and governmental services by being a citizen/national of Japan. Not in the sense of skin color/or cultural aspects.

How many people have got Japanese citizenship in 5 years? I'm going to bet not very many. Even if you are married to a Japanese permanent residence takes at least 5 years, and otherwise more than 10 years.

After getting permanent residence the naturalisation process takes quite some time from what I've heard and you have to fulfill all kinds of criteria, so to say that to get citizenship "you have to have lived there for 5 years" makes it sound far, far simpler than the process actually is. Let's make sure we give people an accurate idea of what's involved in that kind of thing.

to go back to the Army bit..many countries allow foreigners in their military Academy (these academies only train officers). However these foreigners are already students in the military academy of their own country so it is more of a matter of a temporary student exchange between military academies.Of course only exchange students that are very fluent in the local language of the country they go to are accepted.