China and Japan are two countries that have
been culturally intertwined from as early as 400 AD. This relationship led to Japan adopting the
Chinese writing system, the religion of Buddhism, similar political systems, as well as developing
in matters of food, fashion, law, and more, under the influence of China. Although the countries are currently at peace,
relations have remained somewhat tense over the last century. Today, we’ll compare the two nations in
a hypothetical military match-up, in this episode of The Infographics Show, China vs.
Japan. Don’t forget to subscribe and click the
bell button so that you can be part of our Notification Squad. The USA has the world’s highest GDP of around
18.5 trillion dollars. It’s followed by China with a nominal GDP
of 11.8 trillion dollars, and then Japan with a GDP of around 4.8 trillion dollars. The European Union would take second place,
but the EU is a combination of 28 states. While China has experienced economic prosperity
in recent years, it’s per capita GDP ranks low, globally in 70th place, at around 8,000
dollars, with Japan’s per capita GDP much higher at around 39,000 dollars. There is certainly less money to go around
in China as it has the world’s largest population of 1.38 billion people, compared to Japan’s
126-plus million population. In terms of military spending, China ranks
third behind Russia and the military-minded USA, with a defense budget of around $147
billion, which is 2.1% of its GDP. Japan sits in 7th place on this list, with
a $43 billion defense budget, which is 0.9% of its GDP. It’s also worth mentioning here that military
pundits often state China spends much more on its military than the number that is reported,
although China’s finance minister denied this secrecy in 2017, saying, “Let me be
very clear, there is no such thing as opacity in China’s military spending.” While Japan is regarded as being a military
powerhouse, it’s number of military personnel is actually quite small, and very much inferior
to the number of personnel the Chinese employ. Japan has around 250,000 active military personnel,
with another 57,900 people acting as reserve personnel. China on the other hand has a massive 2,335,000
active frontline personnel and 2,300,000 active reserve personnel and paramilitary forces. Japan’s personnel numbers may be small,
but it's protected with some of the world’s best military equipment. This includes 678 Tanks, 2,850 armored fighting
vehicles, 202 self-propelled guns, 500 Towed-Artillery, and 99 multiple launch rocket systems. It’s large fleet of land artillery includes
two machines often on the list of the world’s most advanced tanks, those being the Japanese-made
Type 10 Main Battle Tank and Type 90 Main Battle Tank. China, however, outguns Japan considerably
with a total of 9,150 tanks, 4,788 AFVs, 1,710 SPGs, 6,246 Towed-Artillery, and 177 MLRSs. China’s Type 99 main battle tank is also
highly rated, while the country also claims to have developed the most advanced tank in
the world in its VT-4. China is not alone in making such boastful
claims, with the USA and Russia also stating they have the best tanks in the M1A2 Abrams
and the T-14 Armata, respectively. The VT-4 is as much a Chinese war machine
as it is a profitable export, with Thailand placing a big order of the tanks, and other
countries showing interest in buying. Both countries have strong air forces, with
China owning around 2,900-plus aircraft and 206 attack helicopters. Japan has around 1,590 aircraft and 119 attack
helicopters. In terms of strength, China’s aerial piece
de resistance is its new Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter, which the air force, and some aviation
experts, have stated can match America’s highly advanced Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor
and F-35. China is also the only country to have bought
the Russian beasts of the skies, the Sukhoi Su-35 multipurpose fighter. If you’ve seen our shows on these aircraft,
you’ll know the Su-35 alone is an impeccable piece of engineering. Japan would be hard pushed to equal such aerial
military might, but the country is no slouch when it comes to aircraft. Japan is said to have created a veritable
equal to China’s J-20, having joined the stealth leagues with its own Mitsubishi X-2. Japan has some formidable combat aircraft
in its homemade Mitsubishi F-2, as well as American made F-4 Phantom IIs and F-15 Eagles. The country is also the proud owner of the
USA’s highly touted F-35 Lightning II. Japan currently has one of these aircraft,
but another 42 have been ordered. With this in mind, the two countries seem
to be fairly evenly matched in terms of air force equipment, with Japanese imports being
a major factor. As far as naval power is concerned, a matter
of significance given the history of naval invasions, and the fact that the countries
are separated by a stretch of water. Both countries are credited with having very
strong navies, although most analysts rank China above Japan. The People’s Liberation Army Navy is said
to have grown from a fairly weak outfit consisting of old ships to a formidable foe due to massive
injections of money since China’s economic boom. The navy not only has well over 100,000 personnel,
but has a large fleet of ships. This includes one aircraft carrier, 35 destroyers,
51 frigates, 35 corvettes, 31 mine warfare, 3 amphibious transports, 8 nuclear attack
submarines, and around 50 conventional attack submarines. By comparison, the Japanese navy consists
of around 114 ships and 45,800 personnel, and according to nationalinterest.org, its
fleet of 17 submarines is as good as any submarine fleet in the world. In total, Japan has 3 Aircraft Carriers, 43
Destroyers, 6 Coastal Defense Craft, 0 Frigates, 0 Corvettes, and 25 mine warfare. A matter of importance is each country’s
nuclear capabilities. Japan doesn’t have any nuclear weapons,
although it is protected by the United States under the nuclear umbrella. The country is well known for its highly advanced
industries and technology, and there is no doubt that it could develop its own nuclear
weapons given its nuclear energy infrastructure. This has so far not happened due to a non-nuclear
weapons policy, although being positioned so close to North Korea, many Japanese politicians
and military officials have called for a change in nuclear weapons policy. China, on the other hand, is one of 9 nations
with nuclear weapons, with a considerable arsenal of around 260 warheads. It’s first nuclear test was in 1964. The number of weapons, however, and China’s
development of nuclear weapons, has been a matter of wide speculation. For instance, a Georgetown University study
claimed that China’s nuclear weapons arsenal is not in the hundreds, but possibly 3,000. The study claimed the weapons were hidden
in secret underground tunnels. The prospect of any kind of conflict involving
these weapons of mass destruction, however, is highly unlikely. We cannot forget that almost every single
tank, aircraft, or naval unit needs fuel to operate. China currently consumes approximately 12
million (11,968,000) barrels of oil a day, but it only produces about 4 million (3,980,000)
barrels daily. That said, it does have 25 billion barrels
in reserves. Japan, on the other hand, consumes 4.15 million
barrels of oil a day, but it only produces a meager 3,900 barrels daily. Worse yet, it only has 44 million barrels
of oil in reserves. So, who do you think has a stronger military? China or Japan? Let us know why in the comments! And be sure sure to check out our military
comparisons playlist. Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t
forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time!
