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the picture shows the japanese ground self-defense force equipping drones during the exercise

according to the associated press on august 30, japan's defense ministry sought on the 30th to formulate a record 8.5 trillion yen (about 59 billion us dollars) budget for next year to strengthen its deterrence in the southwestern islands, while focusing on the development of unmanned weapons and artificial intelligence to make up for the reduction in the number of self-defense forces caused by japan's shrinking population.

the defense ministry's 2025 budget request marks the third year of the "five-year rapid military expansion plan" set out in the japanese government's current security strategy. japan intends to spend 43 trillion yen over five years, doubling its military spending to around 10 trillion yen in 2027, making it the world's third largest military spender after the united states and china.

the budget request was approved at a defense ministry meeting on august 30 and will then be submitted to the finance ministry for consultation by the end of december.

japan has been rapidly strengthening its defense in its southwestern region in recent years, reports say.

the 970 billion yen in the 2025 budget request will cover the cost of strengthening counterattack capabilities, which will be used to develop and purchase long-range missiles and their launch equipment, including missile launch equipment for aegis destroyers. one-third of this cost will be used to build a satellite constellation to enhance the detection capability of missile-related activities.

the report said that while promoting military expansion, japan must deal with the problem of the shrinking number of the self-defense forces, so it will focus on the research and development and procurement of more reconnaissance and combat drones, for which it will apply for 103 billion yen. in addition, it will apply for 314 billion yen to build three new multi-purpose compact destroyers.

japanese defense ministry officials call combat drones "disruptive weapons" that can carry out missions for hours and reduce combat losses, and see them as a mainstay of japan's ongoing military expansion. unmanned weapons can also help a country struggling to cope with an aging and shrinking population.

the report said that japan has always had difficulty achieving its self-defense forces' 247,000-strong establishment. in recent years, the self-defense forces have been having trouble attracting young people to enlist, and last year's target of 19,598 recruits was only half achieved, making it the year with the fewest recruits in the 70-year history of the self-defense forces.

the ministry of defense also released an interim report on human resources on august 30. the report said: "japan will inevitably face a society with a serious labor shortage due to the decline in newborns and the working-age population. we need to build an organization (self-defense forces) that can fight in new ways while strengthening national defense."

the japanese ministry of defense has been hit by a series of scandals involving sexual assault, harassment and abuse of power in recent years. in july this year, the ministry of defense became the target of public criticism for the leak of confidential information and corruption scandals.