Thus those tank girls,” said Fruhstuck, who wrote “Uneasy Warriors”, a 2007 book about the Japanese army.īut the popularity of the armed forces may not translate into greater public backing for military action, she said. “The military has, along with other governmental agencies and corporations, finally discovered the power of popular culture. Nonetheless, the girls and their tanks have reinforced the military’s public relations, with copycat characters used in recruitment posters.Īt the army’s annual live-fire exercises last August, a record 110,000 people applied for less than 6,000 public seats, many of them fans of the cartoon.Ĭute images have long been used by Japan’s military but it has become even more “warm and fuzzy” to appeal to young people, said Sabinne Fruhstuck, professor of Modern Japanese Cultural Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The cartoon, Sugiyama said, was not made to promote the military but as a venture to make money for Bandai. A real battle would mean people dying,” said producer Kiyoshi Sugiyama.īandai, which will release a “Girls und Panzer” movie this year, has also collaborated with, put out a mobile social game in Japan and plans to sell a game for Sony Corp’s PSP Vita handheld console. “We have presented it like a sports tournament. The girls are never hurt in the cartoon battles, protected by a special “carbon lining” in their tanks. To get those details right, staff from Bandai Visual, an animation unit of computer game maker Namco Bandai, were granted access to the army’s tank school and other SDF bases. The TV series, which ran last year, featured the girls commanding old and modern tanks accurately drawn to scale. In December it was Mai Fuchigami, the voice of one of the lead characters in “Girls und Panzer”. The growing popularity of soldiers as potential husbands prompted Takaku to begin a dating feature that introduces three single men from the navy, airforce or army every month.Įach issue also has a popular female model on its cover to draw in men. “When I was at school, feelings about the war were strong and anti-military feeling was high,” said Yutaka Takaku, editor of Mamoru, the Defense Ministry’s official magazine. MILITARY ALLERGYĮscalating tension with China over maritime borders and the threat from North Korean missiles have ensured the military’s place in the media spotlight. Reflecting the praise the Self-Defense Force (SDF) won for its rescue efforts after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, a government survey in 2012 showed that 91.7 percent of respondents expressed a favourable opinion of the military, the highest level since the survey began in 1969. “We need to have as close a relationship with them as possible.” “It’s our job to explain to the Japanese people why we have to raise the Self-Defense Force budget,” said Hirokazu Mihara, the head of public relations at the Defense Ministry. But even a soft-power approach to boosting defence risks inflaming tensions with neighbours who still have strong memories of Japan’s aggression. Making the military cool is important for Abe’s drive to increase defence spending after years of cuts. The military’s attempt to emerge from decades in the shadows is in line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s more nationalistic tone and a less apologetic diplomacy. Hit shows include “Girls und Panzer”, a cartoon about schoolgirls fighting tank battles, and “Eternal Zero”, a movie about a kamikaze pilot that its director made in part to counter an image of Japanese soldiers as fanatics. These days it’s closer to one in three, according to recruitment data obtained by Reuters.įilm directors, animators and TV producers have delivered a bumper crop of military-themed content, much of it with help from the Ministry of Defense. A decade ago, around one in 10 candidates said they wanted to be a soldier for love of country. Patriotic zeal is now a more compelling reason to enlist. But as tension with China chips away at Japan’s post-war pacifism, the military is regaining its prestige - helped by a blitz of television dramas, movies and cartoons. TOKYO (Reuters) - Being a soldier in Japan after World War Two was seen as a job for failed police recruits and unemployed youth from depressed rural towns.
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