Japan to beef up its defense with drones, AI and missiles, defense budget plans show
Summary
Japan plans to increase its defense budget to about 8.9 trillion yen ($55.6 billion) next fiscal year. The country will focus on new technologies like drones, artificial intelligence (AI), long-range missiles, and hypersonic weapons to improve its self-defense and counterstrike abilities.Key Facts
- Japan’s proposed defense budget for the next fiscal year is 8.9 trillion yen ($55.6 billion), slightly higher than this year’s 8.8 trillion yen ($55 billion).
- Japan is adapting its defense strategy to use drones and AI for better warfare tactics.
- The government aims to develop low-cost unmanned weapons to cut expenses and reduce casualties.
- Japan plans to coordinate attack drones with long-range cruise missiles for more effective counterstrikes.
- New weapons may include unmanned drones launched from air or underwater and hypersonic missiles from submarines.
- AI will be integrated into command systems to speed up decision-making and target selection.
- Japan wants to combine foreign AI technology, including from the U.S., with domestic AI development.
- The defense upgrade responds to China's increased military presence and follows a five-year strategy to boost Japan’s defense spending to about 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP).
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