Japan's Largest Defense Contractor Says Automakers Can't Realistically Switch to Military Drone Production

Japan's largest defense contractor stated that converting a struggling automobile plant into a military drone production facility is unfeasible, arguing that such a move would not only fall short of expected outcomes but could also result in wasteful expenditure of taxpayer funds. Meanwhile, Japan's Ministry of Defense has nearly tripled its budget for unmanned systems procurement in the current fiscal year, raising it to 277 billion yen (approximately $1.7 billion), prompting both foreign drone manufacturers and domestic startups to vie for entry into the Japanese market.