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Albee Zhang

China’s military mouthpiece on Monday dedicated a full page to warning about Japan’s expanding offensive drone capabilities, which it said threatened regional peace and security.
PLA Daily said Japan’s right-wing political forces had long sought to bypass Tokyo’s constitutional ban, adopted after World War II, on offensive combat capabilities.
Uncrewed platforms have allowed Japan to circumvent these constraints on military development, according to one of four PLA Daily articles on the topic in Monday’s edition.
“Japan is seeking to build asymmetric advantages on future battlefields by relying on unmanned combat capabilities, thereby advancing its broader agenda of ‘remilitarisation’ – a trend whose potential risks should not be underestimated,” another article stated.
It said Japan’s three key national security documents, passed in 2022, had identified “unmanned defence capabilities” as a priority to establish Japan’s counterstrike ability.
According to the documents, integrating unmanned systems, artificial intelligence and manned platforms is “a game changer” for Japan to build asymmetric advantages.
In its 2022 Defence Build-up Programme, Japan said it would invest 1 trillion yen (US$6.2 billion) in uncrewed systems over the five-year period starting in 2023.
This financial year alone, Japan has allocated 277 billion yen for drones, including 100 billion yen for building a multilayered littoral defence system called Synchronised, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defence (Shield).
PLA Daily said the Shield platform was similar in concept to the “hellscape” scenario that the US military had envisioned for a Taiwan contingency, where unmanned systems would deploy en masse very quickly.

The articles detailed Japan’s drone development across land, sea and air, adding that Tokyo had been focusing on loitering munitions, also known as suicide drones, and armed reconnaissance-strike unmanned platforms.
They said Japan was aligning its drone development with that of the US. Tokyo upgraded the US-Japan Defence Industrial Cooperation, Acquisition and Sustainment consultation mechanism this year to shift focus towards small unmanned aerial systems and other areas.
Japan plans to buy 23 US-made MQ-9B SeaGuardian unmanned aircraft as well as American-made robotic dogs, unmanned surface vessels and uncrewed underwater vehicles for missions including forward reconnaissance and short-range strike operations, according to one of the articles.
PLA Daily also noted that Japan was deploying drone assets in Kyushu, Okinawa, Ishigaki Island and Yonaguni Island as well as in key passages such as the Miyako Strait and Osumi Strait, where they could cooperate with US forces along the first island chain.
Japan is exploiting the rapid development of unmanned military technology to transform its forces into ones capable of long-range precision strikes, pre-emptive operations and joint offensive warfare with the United States, according to the newspaper.
“By repeatedly crossing the red line of its ‘exclusive self-defence’ policy, Japan is transforming into a ‘state capable of waging war’ and emerging as a dangerous wild card that threatens regional peace and stability,” one of the articles warned.
Under Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country has shifted away from its post-World War II pacifist policies and carried out a military build-up, citing what it claims are Beijing’s more assertive defence policies.


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PLA Daily says unmanned platforms have allowed Tokyo to circumvent constitutional constraints on military development


PLA Daily says unmanned platforms have allowed Tokyo to circumvent constitutional constraints on military development.


China’s military mouthpiece issues full-page warning on Japan’s growing drone power

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}PLA Daily says unmanned platforms have allowed Tokyo to circumvent constitutional constraints on military development

PLA Daily says unmanned platforms have allowed Tokyo to circumvent constitutional constraints on military development