Japan’s Takaichi Urges UAV Response Capabilities to Form Part of Defense Revamp

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, November 8, 2025

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi indicated that the accelerated revision of three security documents, including the National Security Strategy, will incorporate a new defense framework on responding to large-scale use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), during a question-and-answer session at the House of Councillors on Thursday.

UAVs have seen widespread use during Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

“We will advance our reviews based on the necessity of adapting to new fighting styles, starting with the widespread adoption of UAVs, and having the ability to endure a prolonged conflict,” Takaichi said.

She stressed that “strengthening national functions related to intelligence is an urgent priority.”

The prime minister also indicated her intention to urgently address key issues toward establishing a government command center that would act as a national intelligence agency.

Regarding the extraction of rare earths around Minami-Torishima Island, one of Tokyo’s Ogasawara Islands, she stated that the government would “examine the specific way forward for cooperation between Japan and the United States.

The Japanese government plans to conduct demonstration tests next summer to retrieve rare earths from a depth of 6,000 meters in the waters surrounding Minami-Torishima Island.

Meanwhile, Takaichi emphasized that she would not withdraw the instruction she gave to Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Kenichiro Ueno to consider easing working-hour regulations.

On the issue of regulating the use of social media to prevent the spread of disinformation during election periods, she stated, “I am looking forward to discussions among respective political parties and parliamentary groups.”