Japan Government proposes record defense budget focused on AI

Uthe parliamentary source of the coalition in power has admitted to Nikkei, on condition that it is not identified, that the final defense budget for the fiscal year beginning in April 2027 could reach 10 billion yen, according to the news agency France-Presse (AFP).

The exact values assigned to each item should be finalised as soon as the government completes, by the end of the year, the review of the main documents relating to national security, said responsible for the Ministry of Defense.

With the proposal, the government intends to carry out a wide-ranging modernisation of the armed forces to cope with growing tensions with neighbours such as China, North Korea and Russia.

The budget proposal focuses on the fight against “new forms of war”, such as AI, drones ( remote-command devices) and long-range missiles.

The Ministry of Defense hopes to implement an AI-based decision-making support system and acquire low-cost drones capable of acting together with long-range missiles to neutralize enemy targets.

It also plans to develop hypersonic missiles launched from underwater platforms and create a new unit to strengthen defense capabilities against cognitive warfare.

This is a growing threat aimed at shaping public opinion through misinformation campaigns and other influential operations.

With the budgetary request for the new fiscal year, Japan continues its efforts to strengthen military capabilities to respond to an unstable geopolitical reality.

The country thus progressively deviates from the traditional pacifist attitude, which limited the use of force to strict self-defense.

The gradual change occurs at a time when the rapid expansion of the Chinese army and the continued development of missiles and nuclear weapons by North Korea led Japan to strengthen defense.

The war waged by Russia in Ukraine also fueled the concerns of Japanese political leaders, who fear a similar conflict in eastern Asia.

Tokyo's fears are based on China's increasing pressure on Taiwan and the intensification of Chinese territorial disputes with Japan, AFP said.

The amount requested by the Ministry of Defence is slightly above the previous record of 8.8 billion yen submitted for the current fiscal year, ending at the end of March 2027.

Japan has increased military spending and cooperation on security in Asia by installing missile launchers on remote islands to try to gain counterattack capabilities, and by making the rules governing arms exports more flexible.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, considered a hard line advocate for China, put the country's defense at the top of its conservative agenda.

The relations between Japan and China deteriorated strongly after suggesting in November 2025 that Japan could intervene militarily in a possible conflict concerning Taiwan, an island whose sovereignty is claimed by Beijing.

China expressed concern at what it considers the return of a “new militarism” in Japan.