ASPEN members met for a dinner discussion with Col. Tetsuro Fujimoto, Chief of the Education Planning Section, Education Office, Personnel and Education Department, Air Staff Office, Japan Ministry of Defense, at Antenna America - Kannai on July 24, 2026. Col. Fujimoto outlined his role and led a lively conversation on Japan’s personnel shortages, recruitment and retention efforts, and the cultural and historical differences that shape military service compared with the U.S. Participants discussed opportunities to innovate in education and training to address human capital challenges
The Allied Security Practitioners Exchange Network (ASPEN) is an initiative hosted by YCAPS that focuses on the professional development of Japanese and United States security practitioners through networking, dialogue, and educational programming.
For questions please contact Nick Millward, ASPEN Community Manager at nick@ycaps.org
To learn more about ASPEN, visit the YCAPS ASPEN webpage here.