Japan's Defense Ministry Rocked by Series of Scandals

Jul 13, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - Japan's Defense Ministry has announced disciplinary action against 218 personnel following a series of misconduct cases, including inappropriate handling of classified information and power harassment. This unprecedented move affects top officials from the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces.

Defense Minister Minoru Kihara apologized, stating, "I deeply apologize to the public."

The large-scale disciplinary action, described as the "largest ever," includes several significant cases. The leakage of classified information has involved 113 personnel, while fraudulent receipt of submarine allowances has implicated 74 personnel. Additionally, there have been unauthorized dining incidents within Self-Defense Force facilities and power harassment by senior Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Force officials.

Among those disciplined, Maritime Staff Office Chief Yoshinori Sakai announced his resignation effective July 19. He will retire following a salary reduction, effectively being dismissed. Five other senior officials, including Vice Minister of Defense Masuda and Joint Staff Chief Yoshida, also received reprimands.

Past incidents have also led to significant disciplinary actions within the Defense Ministry. Two years ago, a special defense inspection resulted in 245 personnel being disciplined for numerous cases of power and sexual harassment following complaints from former Ground Self-Defense Force member Rina Gonoi. In 2017, then-Defense Minister Tomomi Inada resigned after it was revealed that daily logs from the Ground Self-Defense Force's South Sudan mission had been concealed.

Commenting on the extensive misconduct, Defense Minister Kihara remarked, "The lack of legal compliance, ethical awareness, mission consciousness, and strict discipline among the involved parties is alarmingly evident."

In the case of the fraudulent submarine allowance, records of diving hours were habitually falsified, resulting in a total of 430 million yen in illicit payments over six years. Moreover, 22 personnel engaged in unauthorized dining within Self-Defense Force facilities over three years, with one member failing to pay for 921 meals worth 300,000 yen.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, currently on an overseas trip, also issued an apology, stating, "I must apologize to the public for causing concern."

Despite the scandal, Kishida expressed his intention to retain Defense Minister Kihara. The government has outlined a plan to significantly strengthen defense capabilities, proposing a defense budget of approximately 43 trillion yen over five years. However, with growing public distrust, this scandal could impact discussions on defense tax increases.

Source: TBS

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