Japan Self-Defense Forces goes moe (again) to raise recruits, fight China et al

How do you appeal to a man’s heart? By moe, of course!

In a bid to raise recruits for Japan’s all-but-in-name military forces, the Ibaraki prefectural branch of the mighty Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) has turned to the power of cute to get fresh Japanese men willing to lay down their lives for their country in the face of an assault from North Korea, China or Taiwan…

Following the Japanese Communist Party, countless regional governments, corporations and many more, the JSDF has gone kawaii with the help of a mangaka and ero doujinshika called Pochi.

There are three promotional ladies: Koume (land forces), Nobara (maritime forces), and Hibari (air force).

Hot on the heels of Okayama Prefecture’s JSDF branch, which took an early lead in using anime girl characters for its posters and flyers, we reckon this will have Akihabara lads fleeing their maid cafes in droves, desperate to get all macho to impress these 2D ladies. It clearly works, since Ibaraki is just the latest prefecture branch to try this tactic.

This is Kagawa JSDF’s efforts.

What is the message here? Join up and have a jolly time with these non-existent girls while either training for a coming attack or rescuing people if there’s another disaster. Talk about getting a reality check after you actually start working.

Apparently some campaigns have seen 20% increases — though this may be the heightened nationalism that Japan is experiencing rather than the soft power of moe.

We prefer the Gravure idol calendars, though.