Japan Defense Ministry Team to Discuss Drones, AI in Combat; Will Learn From Ukraine War, International Cooperation

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:20 JST, June 16, 2025

A team to discuss and devise new combat methods using unmanned aerial vehicles and AI technology has been established by the Defense Ministry.

As part of efforts to fundamentally strengthen Japan’s defense capabilities, the team will examine lessons from the war in Ukraine and multinational defense cooperation. The ministry intends to prepare in this way for future revisions of the nation’s defense programs.

The ministry decided this spring on a policy to discuss in an integrated manner ways to utilize UAVs, a strategy involving defense industries, and issues related to the Japan-U.S. relationship.

To that end, the ministry established the team, which comprises about 30 personnel.

A huge number of drones have been deployed In the war between Russia and Ukraine, and unmanned sea vessels have also been effective. Tactics utilizing UAVs and AI have had a significant impact on the outcome of combat, so the ministry’s team will fully examine these elements.

The Self-Defense Forces are lagging behind in their utilization of UAVs. The Defense Ministry team therefore plans to devise a basic concept including the wider use of UAVs, such as attacks on targets and reconnaissance activities.

Eyeing deterrence toward China, which is heightening its hegemonic activities, the ministry wants to choose a direction over alignment with South Korea, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other nearby countries.

The swift procurement of defense equipment is increasingly important. The team will also discuss practical measures to strengthen the capabilities of companies in the Japanese defense industry.

To expand sales channels for defense equipment, the team will likely discuss increasing exports of defense equipment to like-minded countries that share the same values as Japan.

Regarding the Japan-U.S. relationship, the team will likely focus on alignments in command and control between the SDF and U.S. forces, and on Japan’s financial burden for stationing U.S. forces in Japan, dubbed the “sympathy budget.”