Japanese Defense Minister Shinko Koizumi: I would like to report on the response to the requests from the personnel. When I visited the Omiya Garrison in December last year, I received requests from local personnel regarding supplementary rations (additional meals provided during training), such as "We hope to have nutritionally balanced and portable food, such as energy bars, protein bars, and jelly drinks."
Therefore, on the same day, after consulting with the Chief of Staff of the Ground Self-Defense Force, Shinai, I issued a message to commanders of garrisons across the country, including the Omiya Garrison, requesting them to consider each soldier's requirements when providing additional food.
Recently, the Omiya Garrison has started providing nutritional supplements such as "Calorie Mate" and has carefully listened to and responded to the needs of the personnel. Specifically, the garrison has made several improvements, such as issuing an "additional food list" to each personnel for easy selection; installing whiteboards in the cafeteria so that personnel can write down their desired food at any time. Garrisons across the country are also taking similar measures.
For the Self-Defense Forces, food is directly related to the morale of personnel who carry out missions and training in harsh environments. Therefore, it is essential to provide meals that are satisfactory in both quality and quantity and meet the requirements of the personnel.
Given this, we focused on food costs in the budget negotiations at the end of last year and achieved the largest increase in history (an increase of about 14% per unit price). As the Minister of Defense, I will continue to work hard to ensure that the demands of our military personnel are met. Thank you to all the military personnel who actively voiced their opinions, as well as to everyone who has worked hard for this!
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856187396418570/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.