Overview
- The Cabinet approved the 598‑page Defense of Japan 2026 white paper on Tuesday, calling the regional security environment the most severe since World War II and naming China the greatest strategic challenge.
- The report directs a coordinated push to strengthen Japan’s defence industrial base by easing equipment‑transfer rules, expanding limited arms exports, and nudging startups and SMEs into defence production.
- Tokyo prioritises rapid development of drones and artificial intelligence for new forms of warfare, with ATLA selecting four drone makers to move to navy testing in early August.
- Japan is already deploying long‑range cruise missiles and reinforcing forces on its southwestern islands to deter Chinese activity, while deepening cooperation with the United States, Australia, the Philippines and South Korea.
- Beijing rejected parts of the report as false, and Tokyo plans revisions to its National Security Strategy and related documents by the end of 2026 while framing defence investment as an economic growth strategy.