Japan to beef up its defense with drones, AI and missiles, defense budget plans show
The request also funds hypersonic missiles, SeaGuardian drones and AI systems as Tokyo prepares a new military buildup plan.
- 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.
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Japan is evaluating its defense strategy as threats from China, Russia and North Korea increase, while drones and AI are transforming warfare.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense has requested a record budget for 2027: 8.9 trillion yen, the equivalent of 48 billion euros. Tokyo particularly wants to boost the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military, in a context of escalating tensions with its neighbors. Céline Pajon, a specialist in Japan and the Indo-Pacific at the Asia Center of the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), answers questions from RFI.
Forecasts are emerging that the Japanese government's defense budget for next year will exceed 10 trillion yen (86 trillion won) for the first time in history. According to major Japanese media outlets on the 1st, the Japanese Ministry of Defense requested the allocation of a record-high budget of 8.8908 trillion yen (76.3 trillion won) for the 2027 fiscal year (April 2027 to March 2028).
Japan Defense Ministry eyes record 8.9-T.-Yen budget for FY 2027
TOKYO, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press) -- Japan's Defense Ministry said Monday that it will ask for a record 8,890.8 billion yen under the government's budget for fiscal 2027, which starts next April.The figure is based on the existing Defense Buildup Program, which sets the country's defense spending at around 43 trillion yen for the five years through fiscal 2027.As the budget request includes many items for which specific amounts of necessary funds are …
Japan's Ministry of Defense has released details of its budget request for fiscal year 2027, amounting to 8.9 trillion yen (approximately US$55.6 billion), highlighting Japan's plans to leverage drones, artificial intelligence (AI), and new warfare methods to adjust its defense strategy in response to regional security challenges, including China's military activities and North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
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