Military Ministry Proposed for £27.3 Billion Budget Allocations

Japan is set to revolutionise its defense strategy, focusing on a massive integration of drones for land, sea, and underwater operations. This ambitious plan aims to bolster Japan's defense capabilities by fiscal year 2027, with a particular emphasis on countering regional threats from China, Russia, and North Korea.

Key components of this drone-centric strategy include:

The acquisition of drones such as the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 and U.S. MQ-9B SeaGuardian. These drones, renowned for their ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and strike capabilities, will play a crucial role in enhancing Japan's defense capabilities. The MQ-9B, primarily used for maritime and coastal monitoring, and the Bayraktar TB2, offering offensive capabilities, will be instrumental in Japan's defense operations.
The expansion of Japan's drone capabilities beyond aerial systems. This includes the development of shipborne unmanned systems and underwater drones, which will be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and potentially offensive roles in protecting Japan's coastlines and strategic islands.
A significant budget allocation of over 1 trillion yen (approximately $6.3 billion) to enable rapid mass deployment. This shift away from a focus on high-end technology or qualitative superiority towards achieving numeric strength in drone forces is intended to minimise frontline troop exposure and casualties.
The development of domestic drone manufacturing capacity in the longer term. While initially procuring relatively inexpensive foreign drones for urgent operational needs, Japan aims to build a robust domestic industry to secure its supply chain in the future.
The incorporation of underwater drones marks a significant expansion of drone use into sub-surface environments. This reflects the need for comprehensive coastal defense in the face of modern maritime threats.

This new defense vision aligns with trends observed in recent conflicts, where drones have proven to be a game-changer in warfare due to their affordability, scalability, and ability to reduce human risk on the front lines. Japan's strategy explicitly considers these lessons and regional security dynamics, particularly China's drone-related military development and North Korea's drone capabilities received from Russia.

In summary, Japan's goal is to establish a drones-centric defense posture that integrates unmanned aerial, maritime, and underwater systems to ensure rapid, large-scale operational capability across land and sea domains by the late 2020s. This ambitious plan is backed by significant budget investments and a balance between foreign procurement and domestic production.

The Japanese Defense Ministry is expected to submit a fiscal 2026 budget request of 8.8 trillion yen, and some of the models to be considered may be made in foreign countries, such as the United States and Australia. The new defense vision will likely involve drones for attack, reconnaissance, and other defense capabilities, with a budget request of around 200 billion yen for their acquisition.