Transits through the Strait of Hormuz have fallen from 21.6 to 4.9 million barrels a day, and Gulf producers are building seven bypass pipelines. Japan restored procurement, but July brought a 634.5 billion yen deficit.
Japan signed a mass-production contract for the Terra B1 interceptor drone on August 25, 2026, three months after opening the tender. Three foreign entries were tested too; only the Japanese aircraft got a contract.
After reports that Rakuten would help Helsing sell its HX-2 drone to Japan's Defense Ministry, three shops left Rakuten Ichiba. Strike drone or interceptor, and how far does a seller answer for the mall's other business?
On August 24 Takaichi pledged continued aid to Ukraine and sanctions on Russia at the Kyiv summit. Japan also draws 8.9% of its LNG from Russia, and a US Senate bill counts it among the top five buyers of Russian gas.
Underwater, only sound carries far, so the ocean is still read by a handful of specialists. NEC has a Japanese defence contract to build a self-supervised underwater acoustic foundation model by fiscal 2027.
On July 29, 2026, the destroyer Chokai fired a Tomahawk over the Pacific, a first for Japan. What 400 cruise missiles with a 1,600 km reach mean for a country built around defense-only doctrine.
Rolls-Royce, IHI and Avio Aero say the GCAP engine demonstrator is close to final design approval after more than 100 component tests, with ground running next. Sixth-generation fighter engines are judged on electrical power and heat, not just thrust. What Japan brought, and why co-designing an engine breaks with the F-2 era.
Loss-making mobile-game studio KLab has signed an MOU to bring an undisclosed partner's counter-drone system to the UAE. Inside a game company's pivot, UAE royal money, and Japan's neutral-broker play.
Japan, the UK and Italy's GCAP fighter demonstrator is 75% built, and reporters have finally seen it. A third longer than a Typhoon, with weapons bays reportedly double the F-35's capacity, its sheer size reveals the program's priorities: range and payload for the Pacific. How it compares to America's F-47 and Europe's collapsed FCAS.
After a year of budget drama, Britain published its delayed Defence Investment Plan on June 30, committing about 8.6 billion pounds to the GCAP sixth-generation fighter and extending the Japan-UK-Italy contract to end-2027. Why Japan was the anxious partner, why an outgoing prime minister signed it, and what the bet on building a fighter without America really means.
On June 26, 2026, Japan's Diet passed a law renaming the Air Self-Defense Force as the Aerospace Self-Defense Force, the first rename of an SDF branch since 1954. A new 880-strong Space Operations Command will track satellites and threats in orbit. Here is what changes, and why now.