Can Japan find enough troops for its military surge?

Japanese troops during an amphibious landing exercise in Tokunoshima, Japan, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)

AFTER 75 years of peace, Japan is facing immense challenges in its rush to build a more formidable military. To understand why, consider the Noshiro, a newly commissioned navy frigate equipped with anti-ship missiles and submarine-tracking sonar.

The vessel was designed with an understaffed force in mind: it can function with about two-thirds of the crew needed to operate a predecessor model. Right now, it puts out to sea with even fewer sailors than that.