The Defense Ministry on Friday said it had disciplined a total of 218 Self-Defense Force members and senior officials following a wide-ranging probe that uncovered the mishandling of classified information, fraudulent claims for additional pay and the harassment of subordinates.
The rare mass punishment, which included the removal of the head of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, comes as the ministry looks to get a handle on a series of scandals that threaten to shake the public’s trust in Japan’s defense establishment and its plans to beef up its capabilities to respond to China’s growing regional assertiveness.
At a news conference Friday, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara expressed dismay at the spate of scandals enveloping the SDF and his ministry.
"I am deeply conscious of my responsibility for betraying the public's faith,” he said in announcing the disciplinary actions.
Kihara, however, ruled out resigning as defense chief, instead promising to forgo his salary as a Cabinet member for one month and pledging to restore public trust under his leadership.
With MSDF members making up the lion’s share of those punished, Chief of Staff Adm. Ryo Sakai said at a separate, hastily organized news conference Friday that he would step down on July 19 to take responsibility for his branch’s role in the scandals. He will be replaced by Vice Adm. Akira Saito.
"I think the root cause is the lack of compliance among (MSDF) members and the lack of governance ability within the organization," he said.
Others, including Vice Defense Minister Kazuo Masuda and the ministry’s Joint Staff head, Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, were also admonished for their failure to rein in these violations.
According to the Defense Ministry, the punishments were in response to four areas: the mishandling of classified “specially designated secrets” related to national security, the fraudulent receipt of pay allowances, abuse of power, and eating and drinking at base cafeterias without paying.
Of these, 58 cases in the Ground, Air and Maritime Self-Defense Forces, as well as the Joint Staff Office, were related to the rampant sharing of classified info, including allowing unvetted crew aboard 38 MSDF vessels to view information such as ship movements.
Kihara has said that none of the classified information is believed to have been leaked outside the SDF and Defense Ministry.
The ministry also punished 62 MSDF personnel from two submarine rescue ships — including senior officers — found to have fraudulently received allowances totaling about ¥43 million for diving and training operations from 2017 to 2022. This included one MSDF member who admitted to receiving approximately ¥2 million for more than 1,500 hours of fictitious work.
Twenty-two MSDF members and officials were also punished for eating free meals and drinks they were not entitled to at base cafeterias. According to ministry officials, one of the MSDF members ate 921 meals, or equivalent to about ¥300,000 worth.
As for the abuse of power cases, three ministry officials at section chief level or higher were punished for repeatedly making intimidating and harassing remarks to subordinates, “causing the workplace environment to deteriorate significantly.”
Separately, the Defense Ministry continues to probe allegations that Kawasaki Heavy Industries — which has built 12 of the MSDF submarines currently in operation — used slush funds generated via fictitious transactions with subcontractors to provide goods and gift vouchers to wine and dine MSDF members over submarine repair contracts.
The sudden emergence of multiple scandals is the latest challenge for the Defense Ministry as it seeks to strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities — including by pouring record amounts of cash into ministry coffers — amid challenges such as China’s moves in the East and South China Seas and near Taiwan, and nuclear-armed North Korea’s repeated missile launches.
The spate of scandals also comes as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party have seen public trust in the government deteriorate following a recent political funds scandal.
It remains unclear if the Defense Ministry and SDF scandals, coupled with the low levels of trust in government, could put a damper on the realization of defense policy goals — but both allies and adversaries alike are expected to be watching how this unfolds.
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