How effective a fighting force do you think Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are?

Well, considering that the main purpose of the SDF is to defend against an invading force, they have it set up pretty well with the way they have divided their territory. Their training is excellent and they seem to do a good job of recruiting bright individuals for their National Military College (Boeidai) and lifers at lower ranks. The problem might be with the easiest recruitment level and its two-year contract since many do not continue after receiving their bonus and are probably prone to a lack of enthusiasm during training.

How effective a fighting force do you think Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are?

Before asking this, how about looking at the morale of Japanese men as whole and how they feel about their country?

Only like 11% are willing to fight for Japan. Its a "landslide" of a percentage to favor enemy combatants.

I seriously doubt their effectiveness when it comes to fighting. Its never been put to test actually.

If you remove the word "Fighting" then I would bet any amount on these forces for sure. Japan has one of the best force when it comes to relief measures and aid.

Some day the destructive Islamic radicalists will test them. They are doing in many other parts of the world.

I don't know. I don't know enough about them to even guess.

Lol

General Nakatani and his goons, in leadership positions, haven't really been tested.

As a military person living in this country, how is it that you can continue to make inflammatory bigoted comments, insult your hosts and get away with it? Does JT give special privileges for military personnel?

How effective a fighting force do you think Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are?

Leadership plays a key factor here too. General Nakatani and his goons, in leadership positions, haven't really been tested.

Plus the SDF rules of engagement are a joke.

As long as they do not keep staying tsukareta, then perhaps they would do well. I find the young men to be very wimpy here, but boost some of that nationalist emperor spirit, and they could do well.

Besides, the Americans would be fighting next to them.

There are no natural resources here, no tangible wealth to plunder.

You are forgetting that Japan is next door to a country with millions of men who have no chance of getting married.

This is hard to answer as they have never been in combat. They have good equipment and put on very disciplined parades and military demos for the public, but who knows? If they had to fight perhaps some of that old Japanese martial spirit would still kick in...

M3M3M3: There are no natural resources here, no tangible wealth to plunder. Any invading army would only be saddled with hungry and elderly mouths to feed and an ecomony that would collapse overnight.

This assumes candidates for 'invading armies' that care about any of that.

That depends on where and who they are fighting.

The only honest answer to this question is that it really doesn't matter one way or the other. Despite what some people would have you believe, no rational country will ever set out to invade and conquer Japan.

There are no natural resources here, no tangible wealth to plunder. Any invading army would only be saddled with hungry and elderly mouths to feed and an ecomony that would collapse overnight.

I sincerely hope that we never have to find out.