Tokyo is seeking another record-busting defense budget — including spending to build a drone “shield” to defend Japan’s southwestern periphery — amid rising concerns over the Chinese military’s moves near and inside the country’s waters and airspace.
The Defense Ministry said Friday that it is seeking a budget exceeding ¥8.8 trillion ($60 billion) for fiscal 2026, up 4.4% from last year’s record ¥8.5 trillion initial request. The budget is the fourth in a five-year spending plan of around ¥43 trillion, as Japan zeroes in on its target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense by 2027.
Most prominent in this year’s request is a ¥128.7 billion plan to build a multilayered coastal defense system covering the air, sea, and waters that incorporates unmanned assets as well as strengthened standoff defense capabilities to attack from outside an enemy’s range.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
