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Julian Ryall

Japan is accelerating plans to acquire and develop military drones by stepping up cooperation with Ukraine and learning from Kyiv’s wartime experience against Russia as it seeks to deploy more unmanned systems across its territory.
Complementing this strategy, Japanese companies are also collaborating closely with their European counterparts to manufacture anti-submarine drones.
“The entire international community has witnessed how warfare has changed since the outbreak of the Ukraine war and Japan, like other countries, is now very much focused on the development of drones that will be carrying out much of the fighting on the future battlefield,” said Masayuki Masuda, director of Chinese studies at the National Institute of Defence Studies, the official think tank of Japan’s Ministry of Defence.
“Comparing the relative powers of Russia and Ukraine at the start of the war, it is clear that Ukraine has done very well and a good part of that is due to drones.”
While technology is a key focus, Japan also recognises the importance of possessing large numbers of drones that are easy and cheap to manufacture, according to Masuda.
“Quantity is just as important as quality in this area, but Japan has many small companies that could very quickly produce large numbers of cheap drones in great quantities should they be needed,” he said.
Japan currently produces around 1,000 military-grade drones a year, but this number is set to increase significantly, according to the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Japan.

A centrepiece of Tokyo’s drone ambition is the soon-to-be launched Japan-Ukraine Drone Cluster, an industrial partnership between Japanese manufacturers and Ukrainian defence companies that also involves the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Japan, universities, research institutions and regional technology firms
In addition to military applications, the cluster is expected to produce drones for disaster relief, logistics, coastal surveillance, underwater inspections and operations in hazardous environments.
James Brown, a professor of international relations specialising in Russian affairs at Temple University’s Tokyo campus, said Ukraine was a “natural partner” for Japan to develop its drone capabilities.
He said drones were critical to Japan’s national defence given the vast expanses of ocean its military must patrol, compounded by a shortage of military manpower and tight budgetary constraints.
“Japan is a maritime country facing largely maritime and aerial threats, but it can clearly learn an enormous amount from Ukraine,” Brown said.
“And Ukraine is willing to help, which is remarkable given that one would have thought they would need all the equipment they could get to fight the Russians. They now clearly have sufficient capacity that they can start exporting it.”
However, Japan’s closer drone cooperation with Ukraine has raised the ire of Russia.
In April, Russia filed a diplomatic protest after Tokyo-based Terra Drone agreed to a capital and business alliance with Amazing Drones of Ukraine, a leading developer of interceptor drones, that included a “strategic investment”. The Japanese government dismissed Moscow’s complaint, which characterised the partnership as a “hostile act”.


On Friday, European aerospace giant Airbus announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries to develop drones for anti-submarine warfare.
The aircraft will be based on the U950 Eurodrone, which has a wingspan of 26 metres (85 feet) and a maximum speed of 500 km/h (310mph). The variant presently being developed for Germany, France, Italy and Spain can carry up to 2,300kg (5,070lbs) of missiles and laser-guided bombs.
“The Eurodrone is ideally suited for countries like Japan that need to monitor large maritime areas,” Airbus said in a statement.
“Eurodrone has very long flight endurances and can fly with much more mission payload, including sonobuoys and torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare. With Eurodrone, Japan could complement its current crewed anti-submarine warfare fleet with a very efficient uncrewed platform and strengthen its maritime security in a sovereign and sustainable manner.”
Separately, US defence firm Anduril Industries is reportedly in talks to buy Nissan Motor’s soon-to-be closed assembly plant in Oppama, south of Tokyo, to build military drones, according to a Reuters report on Friday. Anduril said it was “exploring opportunities to strengthen local production” in Japan while playing down reports of the deal as “speculation”.
Brown said there were concerns that Washington could pressure Tokyo to work exclusively with US firms on drone technology under their bilateral security treaty.
“That would almost certainly result in slower development and much greater costs for equipment that would be out-of-date in four or five years,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government is also allocating more funding to strengthen its unmanned system capabilities. For the 2026 financial year, it has set aside 100 billion yen (US$618 million) to develop a fleet of unmanned ocean-going vessels to defend its remote islands against incursions.

The Ministry of Defence additionally intends to acquire small aerial drones capable of carrying out attacks and underwater units for intelligence gathering.
The moves come as Japan has been closely watching what Masuda described as China’s use of “grey zone tactics” in the Asia-Pacific region, including drone deployments around the disputed Diaoyu Islands, known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands. Chinese coastguard vessels have repeatedly entered waters around the Japanese-administered islands, prompting protests from Tokyo.
China had also deployed drones around Taiwan and near disputed features in the South China Sea, Masuda added.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Analysts say Japan is belatedly trying to catch up with other countries in military drone development.
Brown described Tokyo as a laggard and said that both China and Turkey had surpassed Japan in the field.
“Japan has fallen behind in the development and deployment of drones for the military,” Masuda said. “But this government has recognised their importance and is working hard to catch up with the nation’s rivals.”


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Japan aims to catch up on drone warfare by tapping Ukraine’s experience

Japanese Self-Defence Force’s SOTEN drones fly  during a drill with US Marines in Yufu, Oita prefecture, Japan, on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

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An Airbus Eurodrone remotely piloted aircraft system on display at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport, near Paris, France, on June 17, 2025. Photo: Reuters

People gather near a Eurodrone and an Airbus A-400M military transport aircraft at the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA at Schoenefeld Airport in Schoenefeld, Germany, on June 9. Photo: Reuters

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A sailor raises the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force ensign on board the JS Ise, a helicopter destroyer, as it docks at the international port in Manila in June last year. Photo: AFP

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The signing ceremony for the donation of Australia’s aerial and undersea drones to the Philippines takes place at the Philippine coastguard’s headquarters in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: Facebook/Australia in the Philippines

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About 10,000 personnel are taking part in Valiant Shield 2026 across Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and surrounding waters. Photo: X/US Navy

The opening ceremony of the Resolute Dragon field exercise at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, earlier this month. Photo: Kyodo 

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Analysts say Japan wants to accelerate production of drones to protect its territory given its shortage of military manpower


Analysts say Japan wants to accelerate production of drones to protect its territory given its shortage of military manpower.


Japan aims to catch up on drone warfare by tapping Ukraine’s experience

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Analysts say Japan wants to accelerate production of drones to protect its territory given its shortage of military manpower

Analysts say Japan wants to accelerate production of drones to protect its territory given its shortage of military manpower