Advertisement
China’s military mouthpiece issues full-page warning on Japan’s growing drone power
PLA Daily says unmanned platforms have allowed Tokyo to circumvent constitutional constraints on military development
2-MIN READ2-MIN
14
Listen
Albee Zhangin Shanghai
China’s military mouthpiece on Monday dedicated a full page to warning about Japan’s expanding offensive drone capabilities, which it said threatened regional peace and security.
PLA Daily said Japan’s right-wing political forces had long sought to bypass Tokyo’s constitutional ban, adopted after World War II, on offensive combat capabilities.
Uncrewed platforms have allowed Japan to circumvent these constraints on military development, according to one of four PLA Daily articles on the topic in Monday’s edition.
“Japan is seeking to build asymmetric advantages on future battlefields by relying on unmanned combat capabilities, thereby advancing its broader agenda of ‘remilitarisation’ – a trend whose potential risks should not be underestimated,” another article stated.
It said Japan’s three key national security documents, passed in 2022, had identified “unmanned defence capabilities” as a priority to establish Japan’s counterstrike ability.
According to the documents, integrating unmanned systems, artificial intelligence and manned platforms is “a game changer” for Japan to build asymmetric advantages.
In its 2022 Defence Build-up Programme, Japan said it would invest 1 trillion yen (US$6.2 billion) in uncrewed systems over the five-year period starting in 2023.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x