News | Air - NSBT Japan

Air

Japan Reveals New Details into Project for Collaborative UAV…

Japan’s Ministry of Defense (JMOD) recently made public an evaluation report on a prospective research and development (R&D) project for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of collaborating with Japan’s next-generation fighter aircraft scheduled to be delivered by 2035 as part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with Italy and the United Kingdom.Dated August 2025, the evaluation report…

10/27/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Drone AI East Asia Government

Japan and the U.S. Formalize “SAMURAI” AI-Enabled UAVs Saf…

On September 22, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (JMOD) announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to conduct joint research in developing technologies that would ensure the safety of AI-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).The initiative, referred to by the U.S. Air Force in a separate release[1] as “SAMURAI” (Strategic Advancement of Mutual Runtime Assurance Artificial …

10/15/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Aircraft Drone AI North America East Asia Government

Metro Weather and Tokyo Keiki Reveal Alliance to Mass Produc…

On July 18, Tokyo Keiki Co., Ltd. and Metro Weather Co., Ltd. announced a business alliance, along with Tokyo Keiki’s capital investment in Metro Weather, to accelerate the development and mass production of Metro Weather’s Doppler LiDAR-based wind observation and object detection system for defense applications.Tokyo Keiki, the precision instrument manufacturer with recently expanded facilities…

08/26/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Drone ISR East Asia

Subaru Delivers Experimental UAV to Japan’s ATLA for Manned…

On July 9, Japanese aerospace and vehicle manufacturing giant Subaru Corporation delivered an experimental fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) as part of a research and development contract focused on ‘Remote Control Support Aircraft Technology’ (遠隔操作型支援機技術). The ultimate goal of the research project is to develop comba…

07/30/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Drone East Asia

Defense and Disaster Relief Package for “SOTEN” Small Aeri…

On July 7, it was revealed that the small aerial photography drone “SOTEN” designed by ACSL, a developer of industrial unmanned systems based on autonomous controls research by a laboratory at Chiba University,[1] is being promoted for potential adoption by the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) for operational use, as well as by other government agencies and local authorities engaged in disaster …

07/18/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Drone ISR Disaster Prevention East Asia Business

Drone-Based Logistics Achieving Mainstream Adoption in Japan

On April 8, the Japan Drone Business Support Association (DBA), a drone consultancy based in Okayama that collaborates with local and national government authorities on disaster management, announced the launch of a commercial “Drone Air Transport” service. This service, which began operations on April 1, uses heavy lift unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to transport goods across the country. The …

05/02/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia Air Disaster Prevention

Terra Labo Completes 50 Hours of Test Flights with “Terra D…

On March 31, Terra Labo, a drone developer based in Aichi Prefecture, announced the successful completion of a flight performance evaluation for its "Terra Dolphin VTOL," which logged a total of 50 hours between January and March. This long-range fixed-wing UAV features vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capabilities, eliminating the need for a runway. Built to withstand extended flights over the…

04/25/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia Business Air ISR Disaster Prevention

Japan's First Drone Surveillance Radar System Installed at K…

On January 23, Nippon Kaiyo Co., Ltd. announced the deployment of the U.S.-developed “Gryphon R1410” as Japan’s first drone surveillance radar system, in collaboration with the New York-based nonprofit research and development company SRC, Inc. Certified by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), this radar system is the country’s first counter-unmanned aircraft system …

02/03/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone North America East Asia Business

"GCAP" Defense Budget in FY 2025: Opportunities for Japan’s…

On December 27, the Cabinet of Japan approved a historic defense budget of 8.7 trillion yen (approximately 55 billion USD). On the same day, the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) released its latest defense budget report for fiscal year 2025 [1], outlining a range of upcoming funding initiatives relevant to Japan’s defense industry—particularly in the aerospace sector, as the nation advances its …

01/17/2025 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

East Asia Aircraft

Boeing Japan Secures ATLA Contract for Unmanned Combat Aeria…

On December 10, it was made public that the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has concluded a contract with Boeing Japan Co., Ltd. for the “research and development of unmanned aerial vehicles [UAV] capable of combat in collaboration with manned aircraft”. The contract, signed on October 18 and worth 155,177,000 JPY (approx. 1 million USD) [1], will see the U.S.-based aerospace …

12/13/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia Government

Yakushima Airport Pioneers “Relief Marking” Luminescence T…

On 09 October, the Relief Marking Promotion Association (RMPA) based in Ichinoseki City, Iwata Prefecture announced collaboration with Kagoshima Prefecture in applying its highly luminant RM (= Relief Marking) paint to the center line of the runway of Yakushima Airport located off the coast of southern Kyushu. Yakushima is the first domestic airport in Japan to have this phosphorescent paint[1] a…

10/25/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

East Asia Business

Japan’s Aerosense Demonstrates Cutting-Edge eVTOL Drone for…

On August 8, Aerosense Inc., a Japanese developer of cutting-edge drones, AI, and cloud computing solutions, held a demonstration of the company’s ‘Aerobo Wing’ (AS-VT01K) fixed-wing electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) drone at Moriya Airfield on the outskirts of Tokyo for a group of prospective clients from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).The Aerobo Wing (AS-VT…

08/28/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia Southeast Asia

The Ministry of Defense Sells a Patriot Missile to U.S. Forc…

On July 28, the Ministry of Defense announced that it had signed a contract to sell to the U.S. forces the “Patriot,” air-defense interceptor missile owned by the Air Self-Defense Force. The contract is worth about 3 billion yen (about 20 million dollars). The ministry did not disclose the number of missiles or the timing of the contract. Japan will make up for a shortage of Patriot missiles in …

08/26/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

North America East Asia Government

Japan Defense Ministry’s Budget Request for Fiscal 2025 Rep…

The Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) is planning to request for fiscal 2025 a record 8.4 trillion-yen (approx. 58 billion USD) budget, from which a potential 3 billion yen (approx. 21 million USD) could be earmarked for miniature attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to numerous sources cited in the Japanese press. Attack UAVs are considered “game-changers” in future warfare, and it…

08/26/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia Government

Ministry of Defense Reveals Fresh Details on New Company to …

On August 2, the Japan Ministry of Defense disclosed new information about the mandate of the Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement Co. Ltd. (JAIEC), a joint aerospace initiative launched last month by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC), in a document titled “Building an Industry-Academia-Government Research & Development Ecosystem in the Secu…

08/20/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

East Asia

Japan, U.S. to Jointly Research Electromagnetic Wave Technol…

On July 16, the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed to proceed with joint development to put a system to practical use that irradiates “high-power microwaves” onto flying enemy drones to break down them. This system irradiates enemy drones and other objects with powerful microwaves, breaking them down by causing them to malfunction or burn out their electronic circuits. Compared to ammunition …

08/09/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone North America East Asia Government

ATLA Solicits Companies for Information on Successors to the…

Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has opened calls for private companies to provide information on prospective successor models to the TC-90 trainer and LC-90 liaison aircraft currently in operation by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). On July 31, ATLA published online a “Call for Companies to Provide Information regarding a Next Generation Training Aircraft…

08/09/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

East Asia Government

Subaru Wins the “International Standard” for Drone Collisi…

Subaru has won the international standard for unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). Since drones are capable of transporting goods remotely without human intervention, countries around the world are competing in terms of technology as a last-ditch measure to tackle the labor shortage in logistics. If Subaru’s reputation in the aerial field grows, business opportunities will expand dramatically. How …

08/07/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia

Airbus Announces Plan to Establish a Tech Hub in Tokyo

On May 23rd, major European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced that it would establish its first research and development center in Japan. Aiming to develop next-generation aircraft, the center will primarily focus on three fields: “Development of new materials”, “Decarbonizing technology”, and “Automation”. It will collaborate with universities and companies that possess foundational te…

06/14/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Business

Number of U.S. Fighter Aircraft Models to be Serviced in Jap…

The Japanese government will increase the number of models of U.S. forces fighter jets stationed in Japan that are regularly serviced in Japan. The Japanese government will ask Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI, which have a record of servicing Air Self-Defense Force’s aircraft, whether they can expand their acceptance. The government will plan to create a system to respond flexibly to developm…

06/05/2024 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

North America East Asia Government

Ranking

JGSDF Details Latest “Nankai Rescue” Set for January 2026, Private Companies to Participate

Japan Reveals New Details into Project for Collaborative UAVs Expected to Operate with Manned Fighter Jets

Subaru Delivers Experimental UAV to Japan’s ATLA for Manned-Unmanned Teaming Research

New Details Emerge on JMSDF Port for Strategically Vital Amami Oshima, Drawing Local Business Interest

Anduril Expands into Japan: Assessing Priorities and Local Reaction

Maritime Self-Defense Force Seeking “Performance Based Logistics” for Aircraft Maintenance

"GCAP" Defense Budget in FY 2025: Opportunities for Japan’s Aviation Industry

After Koizumi’s Yonaguni Visit: JSDF Capabilities, Shelter Preparedness, and Deterrence by Denial

ATLA’s “Multi-Purpose Combat-Support” USV Moves Toward Prototyping

Anti-Drone “High-Energy Laser” Unveiled by Japan Ground Self-Defense Force

Tag

Land Maritime Air Space Cyber Law Enforcement Firefighting Vehicle Ship Aircraft Small Arms Personal Equipment Satellite Drone United Nations Electronic Warfare Submarine ISR Artillery and Rockets Missile Communications CBRNE AI Night Vision Device Disaster Prevention Oceania North America Central and South America East Asia China Russia Southeast Asia Arctic Europe Middle East Africa Rest of Asia Government Business Consulting Event Innovation Producer Market Think Tank