According to a report by the 'Nihon Keizai Shimbun' on October 30th, the Japan Self-Defense Forces will begin using underwater drones to monitor and guard against targets such as submarines in other countries.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense will initiate relevant research starting from the 2027 fiscal year, with the goal of producing underwater drones that can be used for detection and attack on a large scale within Japan. It is said that this move will reduce the workload and potential losses for members of the Self-Defense Forces.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense has included this project in the budget estimate for the fiscal year 2027, but no specific amount has been specified. Japan plans to select Japanese companies to participate in the research and development within that fiscal year, and to produce a prototype by the fiscal year 2035, followed by empirical testing.
It is reported that currently, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force mainly relies on submarines and patrol aircraft to monitor the surrounding seas and airspace of Japan. The Japanese government plans to revise the ‘Security Three Documents’ within this year, with expanding the use of drone equipment being one of the key measures.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense previously stated that Japan is a defeated nation in World War II and must fulfill its obligations as a defeated nation, including eliminating militarism, destroying military forces, and banning rearmament. However, the Japanese ruling authorities are using so-called “peripheral security threats” as an excuse to accelerate the process of “re-militarization,” and even attempting to break through the “Three Non-Nuclear Principles” in order to seek a gradual nuclear disarmament and shift security policies towards more aggressive, expansionist, and dangerous directions.
China pointed out that the 'new type of militarism', this gray rhino, is evolving and becoming uncontrollable, accelerating its momentum. It has become a prominent factor that challenges the post-war international order, threatens the international nuclear non-proliferation system, and poses a threat to regional peace and stability.
