The Ministry of Defense focused on “new ways of warfare” in this year’s Defense of Japan white paper. It organizes the current challenges and future policy direction around the use of the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, drones and electromagnetic waves.
As new military technologies emerge around the world, Japan is lagging in the adoption of the latest technologies and also faces a shortage of personnel. Against this backdrop, consideration of “new ways of warfare” is positioned as the central theme of the 2026 Defense of Japan white paper.
The white paper indicates a policy of using domestically developed AI within the Self-Defense Forces’ command structure to handle information gathering and analysis, with the aim of accelerating decision-making. It also identifies the development of domestic supply capabilities for certain technologies as an issue for consideration.
Diagrams and interviews with experts explain specific directions, including strengthening AI-powered analytical capabilities and defense capabilities in the cyber domain. The text identifies the simultaneous exclusion of Chinese-made technologies and promotion of domestic development as an issue.
The government emphasizes a policy of actively using the latest technologies, including AI, drones and electromagnetic waves, as part of measures that include increasing defense spending. This is intended to secure information superiority and support rapid decision-making.