Boot camp for women battles image of Japan's army

OYAMA, Japan, May 31: They swapped their floral blouses for camouflage gear, their running shoes for heavy black boots and the comforts of home for narrow bunk beds and an early morning bugle call.

Thirty-two young women got a taste of life in the Japanese military last week as they took part in the ''Miss Parsley'' tour, a public relations event aimed at women in their 20s, who the polls show to be least interested in defence issues.

''Does it suit me? Does it suit me? I kind of like it,'' giggled Yoko Ito, a 25-year-old Osaka office worker, as she tried on a sniper's camouflage suit, complete with leafy headdress, and brandished a replica gun.

Like others on the two-day stay at the Fuji School, an officer training centre in the scenic foothills of Japan's most famous mountain, Ito admitted her knowledge of the armed forces was hazy.

''I just vaguely wondered what they did,'' she said. ''At the time of the Kobe earthquake (in 1995) a lot of houses in my area fell down, so I saw them on rescue missions. Japan is so peaceful.'' Japan's armed forces, known officially as the Self-Defence Force, exist in legal limbo under a US-drafted pacifist constitution which bans the maintenance of a military but has been interpreted as allowing a force for self-defence, and which renounces the country's right to go to war.

Due to the tight restrictions on its activities, many Japanese see the military as glorified firefighters rather than a highly trained and well-equipped force of 235,000, boasting an annual budget of 4.8 trillion yen.

''People have an image of the Self-Defence Force as only involved in disaster relief,'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Masaru Kawai, one of the organisers of the tour.

''But it is our duty to defend the country, so we want them to see the facilities we have at Fuji School and what they can do.''

TANKS AND AZALEAS

The women certainly seemed impressed, gasping as elite Ranger troops abseiled from a 15-metre tower and slid belly-down along a rope slung between two trees, on a trip that veered between coddling and military harshness. ''Take care not to fall out, little ones,'' a uniformed group leader called as she helped two visitors clamber into a Type 90 tank for a high-speed ride around a muddy exercise ground.

''Does anyone need the toilet? Just let us know if you don't feel well,'' other troops chorused.

But amid the hilarity and frequent photo sessions against a backdrop of pink and white azalea blooms were tastes of real military life.

The ''recruits'' tried rock-climbing and rope-crawling, marched in strict formation and were made to do press-ups when they failed to obey orders.

The annual event has been held for more than a decade, but the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's plans to change the constitution to clarify the legal position of the armed forces -- and a decision to send a small number of troops to Iraq -- have made defence a political issue in a country often described as ''dazed by peace''.

Tour participants were divided on the need for change.

''Everyone sees Japan as very peaceful at the moment, so they want to keep the constitution as it is,'' said Rie Hosoda, a 28-year-old systems engineer.

''But if we are attacked, we won't be in a position to keep it.

It's not that I want to change it right now, but I think it's only natural that it should change along with the situation.''

SCARY REALITY

Others said they hoped Japan's military would continue toBdevote itself to disaster relief.

''I only really knew about their humanitarian activities,''said Natsue Yawata, a 23-year-old medical student.

''But talking to everyone here, I realise they are more focused on defending the country. It's a bit scary. I don't want the world to become the kind of place where the military has to be more active.'' Named after a cartoon character the defence agency uses to represent the female contingent of the armed forces, the ''Miss Parsley'' tour is not directly intended to boost recruitment, but several visitors said they were keen to join up.

Women have been recruited as nurses since the military was restablished in 1954, and almost all branches of the armed forces were opened to women in 1993.

The number of female troops has ballooned from 57 in 1955 to nearly 11,000 last year, but only about one in every 100 female applicants for officer-level entry makes the grade.

Another possible side effect of the tour emerged as the visitors waved a tearful goodbye to their military mentors and left by bus for the station.

''We want you to become fans of the armed forces,'' one tour supervisor told the women. ''Bear in mind that military men make excellent husbands -- they all know how to cook and clean.''

Reuters