Japan’s Defense Ministry asked for a record 8.54 trillion yen ($58.4 billion) in its budget request for fiscal 2025 on Friday, up 7.4% from the initial fiscal 2024 budget, driven up by the cost of a satellite network for counterstrike capabilities, rising material prices and the weak yen.
The equipment portion includes 3 billion yen to acquire about 300 sets of small attack drones.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the importance of a drone-based defense strategy. The acquisition also could reduce personnel costs.
