With a mandate after its Feb. 8 election victory, the Takaichi government will likely accelerate its planned revisions to Japan’s core national-security strategies. It has already identified two priorities: mass deployment of unmanned systems and the ability to sustain a prolonged war.

These priorities reflect strategic foresight. Whether Japan can serve as a reliable “unmanned systems hub” for its allies and like-minded partners will help shape stability in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

This shift reflects lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine, where drones are ubiquitous and millions of low-cost commercial and attack systems have been expended. Industrial-scale production and resilient resupply networks have proven decisive in sustaining combat power.

© The Japan Times