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Japan’s ACSL and SpaceData Launch Joint Study to Advance Dr…

Last month, Japanese space technology startup SpaceData Inc. announced that it will conduct a joint study with Tokyo-based industrial rotary-type drone developer ACSL Ltd. to advance unmanned systems operations for defense, disaster response and infrastructure.In a press release,[1] SpaceData explains that the joint study will see the company integrate its digital twin platform “PROVIDENCE” with…

06/08/2026 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Drone AI Disaster Prevention East Asia

Japan and Turkey Hold First “Defence Industry Cooperation D…

On May 8, Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced that it had signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Turkey’s Secretariat of Defence Industries (SSB) with a view to establishing a working-level group to deepen joint collaboration on defense equipment.The agreement was forged on May 6 during the first edition of the Japan-Turkey Defence Industry Cooperation Day, a matchm…

05/27/2026 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia Europe Government Business

Japan and the EU Hold First Defence Industry Dialogue, Pledg…

On April 17, Japan and the European Union (EU) held in Brussels the first meeting of the Defence Industry Dialogue, issuing a joint statement that included a commitment to enhancing defense industrial and dual-use technology cooperation.A private-sector led initiative, the dialogue is co-organized by the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and the Society of Japa…

05/04/2026 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Space East Asia Europe Business

AI Startup “Spakona” Wins ATLA Contract for UAV Teaming Te…

On April 7, Tokyo-based AI company Spakona Inc. announced that it will conduct research and development of onboard AI to enable flight demonstrations involving multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in collaboration with Japanese digital security systems firm Dodwell BMS Co., Ltd.In a press release,[1] Spakona said the research will include testing AI in both simulated environments and on actual…

04/30/2026 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Air Drone AI East Asia Business

Defense Startup “JISDA” Advances Drone Services based on U…

Over the past few weeks, JISDA (Japan Integrated Security Design Agency), a defense and security startup founded in November 2025, announced two new initiatives as part of its RISE (Resilient Initiative for Unmanned Systems Engineering), a consortium aiming to advance unmanned systems across the entire lifecycle.On March 19, JISDA announced a partnership through RISE with MadeHere K.K., a Yokohama…

04/10/2026 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone East Asia Europe Business

JISDA Tests Low-Cost “Kabura” Drone as JMOD Pushes Attrita…

On March 12, JISDA (Japan Integrated Security Design Agency), a startup developer of unmanned systems, cybersecurity and biotechnology, announced it has successfully conducted a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) test flight of a low-cost and modular fixed-wing drone, the ACM-00 “Kabura”.In a press release,[1] JISDA explained that the prototype Kabura drone is made primarily of expanded polyole…

04/02/2026 NSBT Japan Editorial Department

Drone Disaster Prevention East Asia Government Business

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

Ranking

Terra Labo Completes 50 Hours of Test Flights with “Terra Dolphin VTOL”, Designed for Disaster Response and Offshore Surveillance

Japan and Turkey Hold First “Defence Industry Cooperation Day”, Eye Joint Drone Development

[Press Release] NSBT Japan Announces Change in Operating Structure and Updates to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

SkyLink Japan Begins Handling FINDi FF2, a Japanese-Made Industrial Underwater Drone

NSBT Japan starts activities as a 'SBIJ'

SBIJ and Thailand’s DTI Strengthen Defense Technology Partnership with MOA Signed at Defense & Security 2025

[PR]【Video】Motor-G’s Ukrainian-Made Motors Propel Drones to Speeds of Up to 400 km/h

– Event Report– NSBT Strategy Forum 2026 in Tokyo

Japanese Startup “SolaNika” Receives R&D Grant for Laser Wireless Drone Charging

[Now Open for Registration] NSBT Strategy Forum 2026 in Tokyo

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