This handout photo taken on June 24, 2025 and received from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force teh next day shows a single “Type-88” missile being tested off the coast at the JGSDF Shizunai Anti-aircraft firing range in Shinhidaka, Hidaka district on the northern island of Hokkaido. (HANDOUT / JAPAN GROUND SELF-DEFENSE FORCE VIA AFP)
TOKYO – Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has drafted proposals for revising the country’s three key security documents within this year, calling for stronger air defense systems and enhanced long-term combat capabilities, Kyodo News reported.
The draft recommendations urged Japan to accelerate the deployment of interceptor drones and high-energy weapons aimed at strengthening the country’s air defense network, and to secure the capability to sustain combat operations for “at least a year,” Kyodo News reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The draft also stressed the need for the government to study next-generation submarines powered by advanced propulsion systems and designed to carry long-range missiles to bolster Japan’s so-called “counterstrike capabilities,” the report said.
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The draft, however, stopped short of setting specific defense spending targets or identifying funding sources, both contentious issues within the LDP.