Does Japan have no military?
Mia Moss
Published Jan 13, 2026
The Self Defense Force , the country's current military, was founded in 1954. Today, Japan is ranked fifth globally in overall military power after the United States, Russia, China and India, and its defense budget ranked sixth in the 2021 ranking of 140 countries by the Global Firepower rating site.
Self Defense Force
The Japan Self-Defense Forces (Japanese: 自衛隊, romanized: Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified military forces of Japan established in 1954.
› wiki › Japan_Self-Defense_Forces