Japan will seek to build more drones and missiles as part of a record defense spend of more than $55 billion next year, amid growing concerns over China’s military assertiveness.
Under a plan that Beijing has decried as “new militarism,” Japan is targeting more uncrewed weapons systems — including a new 3D-printed drone fleet — to compensate for its aging population.
Tokyo also sees threats from North Korea and Russia: Vladimir Putin visited the formerly Japanese Kuril Islands earlier this month for the first time, reigniting a 150-year-old feud.
Still, the record top-line figure is a modest increase over this year’s budget, lagging South Korea and Taiwan, and may prove too incremental to satisfy US demands.