Bitter feelings against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are quietly permeating through members of the Self-Defense Forces, who fear being sent to battlefields abroad as chances are growing for the Diet to pass his security-related bills, which he hopes will give his name a prominent place in history.
SDF members who would actually face combat quietly voice the opinion that the risk faced by them will definitely increase and that they feel deceived because they joined the SDF on the assumption that Japan will not be involved in war. Such sentiment could lead to a mass resignation of SDF personnel and a sharp decline in the number of those seeking to join it, seriously jeopardizing national security. The price Japan has to pay for Abe's political self-satisfaction is too high.
While the primary mission of the 230,000-member SDF is to defend the nation, ordinary citizens are more appreciative of their work in rescuing victims of natural disasters.
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