Japan shifts to AI and drones as defence paper warns of China threat

Tokyo,UPDATED: Aug 5, 2026 00:10 IST

Japan needs to adapt to newer methods of warfare, including the use of artificial intelligence and drones seen in Ukraine and the Middle East, and strengthen its defence industry, the government said on Tuesday. A defence white paper adopted by the Cabinet said the country must respond more quickly to changing military trends while continuing a broader build-up of its capabilities.

The 598-page paper reiterated that China is Japan’s biggest strategic challenge and described North Korea’s missile development and its growing military ties with Russia as serious concerns. It also underlined the need to boost domestic arms production and technology, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government seeks public support for further military spending and a larger defence posture.

Japan has increased military spending in recent years and has started deploying long-range cruise missiles as a deterrent to China’s military activity. The paper said Japan considers it essential to adapt to “new ways of warfare”, drawing lessons from the use of drones by Ukraine. With many countries racing to develop combat drones, Japan is prioritising development of its own for coastal defence in combination with long-range missiles.

“Speed is key,” Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in early July. The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency has selected four drone makers from 38 applicants for a rapid development programme, and their systems are due to move to testing by Japan’s navy in early August before a final selection. A number of companies are developing similar drones, and Toshiba announced on Friday that it plans to jointly develop combat drones with startup Pro Drone. The paper said uncrewed weapons could help Japan deal with a falling number of service members in a country with a shrinking population, though experts say developing fully homegrown drones will be difficult while Japan’s commercial drone market is dominated by Chinese imports.

The report said Japan is increasingly concerned by the growing presence of Chinese warships and the rising frequency of their activity in the Pacific Ocean. It said China has consistently increased military spending without transparency and has rapidly and extensively strengthened its nuclear and missile capabilities. The paper noted that during Chinese aircraft carrier drills near southwestern Japan last December, Chinese aircraft locked radar on to Japanese planes, which is considered a possible preparation for firing missiles. It also referred to two Chinese aircraft carriers being spotted near the southern Japanese island of Iwo Jima last June for the first time, heightening Tokyo’s concerns about Beijing’s expanding military activity far beyond its borders and in disputed areas in the East China Sea.

Japan has in recent years strengthened forces on its southwestern islands as it worries about a conflict over Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. The Defence Ministry has also set up a unit dedicated to studying Japan’s Pacific strategy and strengthening its defence against China. Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have risen since Takaichi said in November that Chinese military action against Taiwan could justify Japan’s use of force.

China on Tuesday rejected parts of Japan’s annual defence white paper relating to the Chinese military, calling the document “rife with false narratives” and accusing Japan of using it as “an excuse to ease restrictions on its military buildup”. “It is a classic case of the thief crying stop thief — a pretext to unshackle its own military,” Chen Xi, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Defence, said.

The paper also said China’s growing joint military operations with Russia around Japan, including joint bomber flights and warship operations, are “a grave national security concern”. It described North Korea’s rapid missile development, including hypersonic arsenals, as an “increasingly serious and pressing threat”, and said Pyongyang’s growing military ties with Russia and its backing for Moscow’s war in Ukraine were a grave concern.

On the industrial side, the paper said strengthening arms production and technology is essential to Japan’s military power. The government has been expanding funding for startups and scientific research. In a country that maintained a pacifist pledge after World War II, many established companies have avoided links with lethal weapons, but officials say more startups are now interested in converting dual-use technology for military purposes. Japan’s recent scrapping of its ban on lethal weapons exports could also help strengthen its underdeveloped defence industry.

Koizumi said weapons technology transfer and joint development and production strengthen both Japan’s defence industrial base and its ties with defence partners. Japan has recently made major deals, including the joint development and transfer of 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates to Australia. It is discussing a similar deal with New Zealand and has also struck a deal to sell retired destroyers to the Philippines, as the government pushes to modernise its military, develop new warfare capabilities and deepen defence partnerships.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends