Japan’s defense guidelines for a decade to come, which the country’s government approved on Tuesday, envisage creating space and cyberdefense units, while the application of artificial intelligence will be expanded.
“Given birth rate reduction and population decline, defense capability maintenance and enhancement calls for staff reinforcement more than ever before. It is necessary not only to attract talented staff, but also to use advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, among others,” the document read.
Japan also plans to procure additional 105 F-35 stealth fighter jets, including 42 F-35Bs capable of short take-offs and vertical landing.The government is expected to allocate record-high 27.47 trillion yen ($244 billion) for defense spending in the next five years beginning with fiscal 2019, which is 3.5 trillion yen more than in 2014-2018.