Japan Military Strength 2026
Rank #6 of 145Japan is ranked #6 of 145 nations on the Warfare Institute Strength Index, with a provisional score of 11.0 / 100. The comparable baseline weighs air power, land and naval forces, active manpower and financials, adjusted for equipment quality and readiness.
Category scores
| Air Superiority | 14.1 |
|---|---|
| Air Defense | Not scored |
| Long-Range Strike | Not scored |
| Land Forces | 5.8 |
| Naval Forces | 14.6 |
| Logistics | 10.5 |
| Manpower | 21 |
| Financials | 7 |
Key figures
- Active personnel
- 251,500
- Reserve personnel
- 56,000
- Total aircraft
- 1,429
- Fighters
- 217
- Attack helicopters
- 118
- Tanks
- 734
- Armored vehicles
- 54,390
- Self-propelled artillery
- 193
- Rocket artillery (MLRS)
- 99
- Naval vessels
- 100
- Aircraft carriers
- 0
- Submarines
- 23
- Defense budget
- $58.0B
- Population
- 123,201,945
What the ranking shows
Japan scores 11.0 out of 100. Its highest category score is Manpower (21.0); its lowest is Land Forces (5.8). Category scores compare this country with the strongest inventory in each category, rather than measuring the probability of winning a war.
The inventory reports 251,500 active personnel, 217 fighters, 734 tanks and 100 naval vessels. Geography, alliances, logistics and deployment conditions affect how those forces can be used. Inventory totals and readiness estimates are explained in the methodology.
Data dates and sources
Dated model records range from 2026-07 to 2026-07. The 2026 label identifies the ranking edition; individual observations may refer to earlier periods. Figures are public-source estimates.
- National defense ministry / operator equipment pages & releases (US Army, Japan MOD, UK MOD, France Armed Forces Ministry, Turkish SSB, Israeli MoD, ROK DAPA, …) — rolling (MOD-NATIONAL)
- SIPRI Arms Transfers Database — rolling (SIPRI-AT)
- IISS, The Military Balance 2026 — 2026 (IISS-MB26)
- Naval News + official navy/shipbuilder releases — rolling (NAVAL-NEWS)
These citations identify the source families assigned to the model records; they do not imply every aggregate figure has been independently verified. See the source registry and corrections process.
Equipment by model
Model counts are estimates and may be reconciled to aggregate totals. — means undisclosed.
| Model | Category | In service | Data date | Source tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-15J/DJ Eagle | Air superiority | 128 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| Mitsubishi F-2A/B | Multirole | 55 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| F-35A Lightning II | Multirole (stealth) | 30 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| F-35B Lightning II | Multirole (STOVL) | 4 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| RQ-4B Global Hawk | HALE ISR | 3 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| MQ-9B SeaGuardian | Maritime ISR (MALE) | — | Not dated | Not assigned |
| V-BAT | Shipborne VTOL ISR | 0 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| AH-64D / AH-1S | Attack helicopter | 65 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| OH-1 armed scout | Attack helicopter | 30 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other attack helicopters (japan) | Attack helicopter | 23 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| UH-60JA/J | Utility helicopter | 130 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| CH-47J/JA | Heavy-lift helicopter | 56 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| SH-60J/K | Naval helicopter | 102 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other helicopters (japan) | Utility helicopter | 177 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| E-767/E-2D/P-1 special-mission fleet | AEW/MPA | 135 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| KC-767 / KC-46A | Tanker | 10 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| C-2 / C-130H / C-1 | Transport | 53 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Patriot PAC-3 / MSE | Long-range SAM / lower-tier BMD | 24 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| Type 03 Chū-SAM / Kai | Medium-range SAM | 8 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| Type 11 SAM | Short-range SAM | 16 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| Aegis System Equipped Vessel | Upper-tier BMD (Aegis Ashore replacement) | 0 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| Izumo class | Helicopter carrier / light carrier | 2 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Hyuga class | Helicopter carrier | 2 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Kongo / Atago / Maya class | Destroyer (Aegis) | 8 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Akizuki & Asahi class | Destroyer | 6 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Murasame & Takanami class | Destroyer | 14 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Asagiri class | Destroyer | 6 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Mogami class (FFM) | Frigate | 8 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Upgraded Mogami | Frigate | 0 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Taigei class | SSK | 5 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Soryu class | SSK | 10 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other submarines (japan) | Submarines | 8 | 2026-07 | NAVAL-NEWS |
| Other destroyers (japan) | Destroyers | 7 | 2026-07 | NAVAL-NEWS |
| Type 10 | Modern MBT | 161 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Type 90 | MBT | 308 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Type 74 | Legacy MBT | 147 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other tanks legacy (japan) | tank | 118 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| Type 89 IFV | IFV | 8,702 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Type 96/16 maneuver combat vehicles | Wheeled armor | 16,317 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Type 73/82/87 family | APC/recon | 16,317 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other vehicles mixed (japan) | armored vehicle | 13,054 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| Type 99 155mm | SPG | 68 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Type 75/19 SPG | SPG | 42 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other self-propelled artillery mixed (japan) | self-propelled artillery | 83 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| FH-70 155mm | Towed artillery | 336 | 2026-07 | MOD-NATIONAL |
| Other towed artillery legacy (japan) | towed artillery | 144 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| M270 MLRS | MLRS | 59 | 2026-07 | SIPRI-AT |
| Other rocket artillery mixed (japan) | rocket artillery | 40 | 2026-07 | IISS-MB26 |
| Type 12 SSM extended-range early launchers | strike | 24 | Not dated | Not assigned |
| Tomahawk Block V initial service allocation | strike | 32 | Not dated | Not assigned |