Japan Sees Urgent Need to Prepare for New Ways of Warfare

Tokyo, Aug. 4 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Defense Ministry has emphasized the urgent need to prepare for what it calls new ways of warfare leveraging drones and artificial intelligence technology in an annual white paper adopted Tuesday. The 2026 report, submitted by Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi to the day’s cabinet meeting, also expresses concern over the Chinese military’s expanding activities in the Pacific, saying Japan should respond with its “comprehensive national power.” The white paper says that large-scale attacks combining low-cost unmanned equipment and conventional missiles have been conducted on the battlefields of Ukraine, which is fighting Russia’s aggression. Acknowledging that preparing for prolonged conflicts has become a key issue, the government stressed the importance of securing adequate stockpiles and ensuring sustained operational capability. Regarding China’s military activities, the report maintains the same phrasing as in recent years, describing them as “a serious concern” for Japan and the international community and “the greatest strategic challenge” that Japan needs to respond to. The white paper calls for strengthening Japan’s comprehensive national power and cooperation with allied and like-minded countries as part of its response. Regarding the simultaneous deployment of two Chinese aircraft carriers in the Pacific, seen in June last year for the first time, the report says that China is seeking to enhance its operational capability in distant maritime and aerial domains. It also criticizes an incident in which Chinese military aircraft locked their radars on to Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighter jets last December, calling the act “dangerous” and “extremely regrettable.” In the report, the government also says that China and Russia are further strengthening their military cooperation. It says recent joint operations involving Chinese and Russian bombers and submarines “are obviously intended as demonstration activities against Japan and pose a grave concern for Japan’s security.” Additionally, the government highlights the importance of developing technologies for military-civilian dual-use goods to strengthen the country’s defense power. Describing advances in scientific and technological capabilities and the promotion of innovation as a “key element,” it stresses the need to establish a defense technological base. The white paper refers to a revision of Japan’s three principles on defense equipment exports and related implementation guidelines in April this year, which scrapped the rules limiting the scope of defense equipment that can be exported to the five categories of rescue, transportation, vigilance, surveillance and minesweeping. The revision will enable Japan to build an environment where countries can support one another through common defense equipment and shared production and technological bases, the report says, indicating a policy of promoting defense equipment transfers as a means to bolster cooperation among allied and like-minded countries. On North Korea, which has accelerated military cooperation with Russia, the white paper says that such moves may increase North Korea’s military capabilities in the medium to long term. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]