Category: Japan

Japan’s defense budget request indicates that they realize the future of warfare is unmanned systems:

Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Friday unveiled a record-high defense spending request of $60.1 billion for fiscal 2026, citing what it called severe and continuing security threats from China and North Korea. The proposal, which would mark Japan’s 14th consecutive annual increase in defense spending, is about $1 billion higher than the current fiscal year’s $59.1 billion budget. (…….)

The budget emphasizes standoff defense, unmanned systems and cross-domain operations to counter increasingly diverse, complex and advanced threats, according to the Defense Ministry document. About $874.8 million is earmarked for unmanned aircraft and unmanned surface and underwater vessels as part of the ministry’s Synchronized, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defense program, or SHIELD, set to launch by the end of fiscal 2027. (……)

The ministry also seeks about $7 billion for standoff defense capabilities, including $207.3 million to begin mass production of hypersonic weapons, which travel at speeds above Mach 5 and are difficult to intercept.

Stars & Stripes

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This is actually a little surprising to me that President Lee did not hedge on maintaining the forced labor and comfort women agreements with Japan. It is good to see that he is maintaining policy consistency between governments. We will see what happens in the future though when he needs a distraction from some domestic political scandal of some kind. It always seems like that is the time ROK politicians play the anti-Japan card:

On relations with Japan, Lee said his government will uphold past agreements on the issues of wartime forced labor and former sex slave for Japanese troops, euphemistically called “comfort women.”

“It is very difficult for the South Korean people to accept these agreements,” he said in the interview. “But as they are promises made between countries, it would be undesirable to overturn them.”

Although Lee had previously criticized the agreements, he said that as president he intends to honor them in the interest of bilateral relations, noting his dual responsibility to ensure policy consistency and maintain national trust while also considering the views of the Korean public, victims and their bereaved families.

He also expressed hope that Seoul and Tokyo can confront painful historical issues squarely and move relations forward.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.