Japan requests a record 55.6 billion dollar defense budget focused on AI and uncrewed weapons
Japan's Defense Ministry has outlined an 8.9 trillion yen (55.6 billion dollar) budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, aiming to modernize its military with artificial intelligence and drone technology. The spending plan includes an integrated AI command platform, a dedicated cognitive warfare unit, and the domestic mass production of low-cost attack drones to operate alongside long-range missiles.
Geopolitics··Evening
AI orchestration and decision support
The Japanese Defense Ministry has requested a record budget of 8.9 trillion yen (55.6 billion dollars) for the fiscal year starting in April 2027, focusing heavily on artificial intelligence to counter new forms of warfare. The ministry plans to introduce an integrated AI platform for command and control, which will feature an "AI orchestrator" designed to combine multiple systems and provide AI-powered decision support. Daily Sabah reports that the ministry will also establish a specialized new unit to bolster the country's defenses against cognitive warfare and disinformation campaigns.[1], [2]
Uncrewed capabilities and long-range strike
Drawing lessons from recent conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, the defense plan emphasizes the domestic development and mass production of low-cost uncrewed weapons. These attack drones are intended to operate in tandem with long-range missiles to neutralize enemy assets, aiming to minimize casualties while building a more cost-efficient air defense network. The procurement requests also cover the development of hypersonic missiles that can be fired from submarines, along with uncrewed attack vehicles capable of being launched from the air or underwater.[1], [2]
Strategic context and manufacturing reform
The 8.9 trillion yen request represents a slight increase over the 8.8 trillion yen (55 billion dollars) sought for the current fiscal year, and the final figure is expected to rise further once Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government formally approves a new security strategy. This continuous budget expansion is part of a five-year strategy set in 2022 to raise Japanese defense spending to roughly 2 percent of gross domestic product, a regional build-up that Beijing has strongly criticized as "new militarism". To secure its critical supply chains, the ministry has proposed a state-owned, contractor-operated model in which the government buys factories and outsources the manufacturing of advanced systems to private defense firms.[1], [2]
