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Military Strength: Flag of Australia Australia vs Flag of Japan Japan

Japan (ranked #8 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Australia (#28) on the ATLAS Index. Japan fields 247,000 active troops — 4.2:1 Australia's 58,600, backed by 55,900 reserves and 14,700 paramilitary. Australia allocates $35B to defense compared to $56B for Japan.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Australia AustraliaWorld #28 38.8
ATLAS Index / 100

Japan leads on 5 of 6 pillars

Flag of Japan JapanWorld #8 51.9
  • 41.258K active troops Manpower10 % 57.2247K active troops
  • 35.646 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 47.8302 battle tanks
  • 48.042 warships Naval power20 % 70.3103 warships
  • 44.296 combat aircraft Air power25 % 54.1344 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 43.2$35B budget Defense budget15 % 56.2$56B budget
Australia Japan Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Australia Japan Ratio
Defense budget $35B $56B 🇯🇵 1.6×
– share of GDP 2.0% 1.4% 🇦🇺 1.4×
Active personnel 58,600 247,000 🇯🇵 4.2×
Combat aircraft 96 344 🇯🇵 3.6×
Warships 42 103 🇯🇵 2.5×
– submarines 6 22 🇯🇵 3.7×
Main battle tanks 46 302 🇯🇵 6.6×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 33,270 55,900 🇯🇵 1.7×
Paramilitary forces 0 14,700 🇯🇵
Military aircraft (all types) 396 1,300 🇯🇵 3.3×
– helicopters 102 427 🇯🇵 4.2×
Aircraft carriers 0 2 🇯🇵
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $1,273 $457 🇦🇺 2.8×
Population 27.6M 123.4M 🇯🇵 4.5×
GDP $1.8T $4.4T 🇯🇵 2.5×
GDP per capita $65,130 $35,951 🇦🇺 1.8×
Land area 7,633,565 km² 364,546 km² 🇦🇺 21×
Coastline 25,760 km 29,751 km 🇯🇵 1.2×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇦🇺 AustraliaF-35 Lightning II ×72M1 Abrams ×46Collins-class ×6
🇯🇵 JapanF-15 Eagle ×200Mitsubishi Type 90 ×185Izumo-class ×2
Defense budget history Australia ×1.3 · Japan ×1.1 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Australia or Japan?
Japan has approximately 247,000 active military personnel compared to Australia's 58,600, giving Japan a 4.2:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Australia or Japan?
Japan operates 344 combat aircraft compared to Australia's 96. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Australia or Japan?
Japan has a larger navy with 103 warships compared to Australia's 42. Australia operates 6 submarines while Japan has 22.
Which country spends more on defense, Australia or Japan?
Japan has a larger defense budget at $56.4 billion (1.6:1 more) compared to Australia's $35.1 billion annually.
Do Australia and Japan have nuclear weapons?
Neither Australia nor Japan currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Australia and Japan compare?
Japan operates 302 main battle tanks compared to Australia's 46. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.