Japan PM vows to speed up AI, unmanned defense asset introduction

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged on Wednesday to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and unmanned defense assets in the coming years, ahead of the scheduled revision of three crucial national security documents. Takaichi, who serves as the commander-in-chief of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), emphasized the need to expedite the integration of cutting-edge technologies like AI and unmanned assets, which evolve far faster than traditional equipment.

She highlighted that the upcoming revision of the documents, due less than four years after the last update in 2022, will outline a new strategy to bolster defense capabilities, particularly as the security landscape grows more complex and nations rush to deploy AI-integrated systems and large-scale unmanned aircraft. The existing National Security Strategy and two other defense-related frameworks, all from 2022, were designed to span a decade.

However, Takaichi has opted to shorten this timeline to better address emerging security challenges, especially those posed by China and North Korea. Additionally, the country is under pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to boost defense spending. During the previous revision, Japan committed to acquiring counterstrike capabilities, representing a significant departure from its traditionally defensive stance under the pacifist Constitution, and set a goal of defense spending equivalent to 2 percent of the country's GDP.

The Defense Ministry and the SDF Command Personnel convened for the first meeting under Takaichi's leadership since her October appointment, a gathering that had previously occurred annually since 1964, with a remote session held in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.