Japan military to let hair down by allowing officers to wear different coiffures amid low recruitment

A panel set up by the Defence Ministry to come up with ways to increase recruitment recommended that the rules on haircuts be relaxed during a meeting on January 18, the Mainichi newspaper reported, with the changes to go into effect at the start of the 2024 financial year in April. The easing of the rules on hairstyles comes after the ministry lifted the ban on tattoos among recruits to the Self-Defence Forces last year.

Analysts say the moves are designed to appeal to young people who might be “on the fence” about a career in the Japanese military, but would likely be insufficient to solve the worsening staffing problems across the armed forces.

“The problem they face is quite simple; they do not have enough people,” said Garren Mulloy, a professor of international relations at Daito Bunka University and a specialist in military issues.

“The shortages are perhaps not so acute in the area of officer cadets, but the environment that they are trying to recruit in is extremely difficult,” he told This Week in Asia.

Mulloy pointed to the stiff competition to recruit workers from the private sector after several banking and insurance companies last week announced major increases in starting pay for new graduates, with the adjustments typically around 50,000 yen (US$338) a month.

That sort of “golden welcome” is unprecedented among Japanese companies and only serves to underline the labour shortages across the entire Japanese economy, he added.

“Japan’s public services and the SDF simply can’t keep up with that as their salary structures are set by the government and there is no way they can match the private sector.”

If the recommendations are accepted, male members of the armed forces will no longer be required to have the “buzz