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Japan to beef up its defense with drones, AI and missiles, defense budget plans show
On Monday, August 31, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Defense requested a record 8.9 trillion yen for fiscal year 2027, beginning in April.
This request marks the final year of a five-year, 43 trillion yen defense plan emphasizing artificial intelligence and unmanned assets to counter China's growing assertiveness.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force seeks 292.2 billion yen for 17 MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones and 1.1 billion yen to equip three more Aegis destroyers with Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Ahead of planned security document revisions by year-end, the government submitted about 100 unpriced 'item requests,' with officials expecting the final budget to exceed 10 trillion yen.
To ensure sustainable defense equipment production, the ministry plans to acquire factories and outsource manufacturing to private firms, addressing decades of supply-chain risks from supplier withdrawals.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense wants to receive at least $56 billion in defense spending for fiscal year 2027, Bloomberg reported on Monday.” The agency is achieving record spending of $56 billion for the fiscal year starting in April.
TOKYO (ANP/AFP) - The Japanese Ministry of Defense has requested a record amount to enable further modernization. The emphasis must be placed more on countering "new methods of warfare" and the use of drones and artificial intelligence. The ministry is asking for the...