With an eye on China, Japan looks to kamikaze drones and low-cost missiles

okyo is said to have plans to introduce suicide-style drones that fly to a target, crash into it and explode.

Photo: Shutterstock Images Japan plans to introduce a fleet of kamikaze drones and low-cost missiles to boost deterrence against regional threats including China, according to Japanese media reports.

The Yomiuri newspaper and Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday that the strategy was focused on “integrated attacks” from unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range stand-off missiles, citing government and ruling coalition sources.

They said the drones and missiles would be used to break down enemy air defences and counterstrike missile launch bases.

The Japanese government is prioritising the development of suicide-style drones or loitering munitions – which fly to a target, crash into it and explode – targeting a range of more than 1,000km (621 miles).

The strategy was informed by the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, where low-cost drones have proven pivotal, the Yomiuri reported.

It said new types of drones launched from aircraft or submarines, and those that navigate on or below the surface of the water, were being considered to diversify counterstrikes.

The proposal also includes civil aviation components to produce missiles for counterstrikes that would drastically reduce costs and manufacturing times, in preparation for a prolonged conflict. “Officials are currently conceptualising a ‘new way of warfare’ that integrates these missiles with long-range attack drones,” the Kyodo report said.

It came a day after Japan deployed two new missiles targeting China: a Type 25 long-range surface-to-ship guided missile in Kumamoto, Kyushu, which has a range of 1,000km; and a Type 25 hyper velocity gliding projectile in Shizuoka, Honshu.

Tensions have been running high between the Asian neighbours since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November said Japan could intervene militarily in the event of a conflict over Taiwan – infuriating Beijing and pushing ties to a new low.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary.

Most countries, including Japan and the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but they oppose any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and Washington is committed to supplying it with weapons.

From Kyushu, a 1,000km-range missile or drone could reach some of the most populous areas on mainland China’s eastern coast including Shanghai, while the Taiwan Strai

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