Japan’s Ministry of Defense submitted a record ¥8.8908 trillion ($55.5 billion) budget request for fiscal 2027, prioritizing a transition to a new way of fighting centered on artificial intelligence and unmanned systems. The plan includes an AI decision-support system for the Joint Operations Command, a highly classified sovereign cloud, long-range attack drones, combined missile-and-drone operations and a submarine-launched hypersonic guided missile. The request also proposes government-backed defense production infrastructure, a new export-support corporation and organizational changes to address shortages of Self-Defense Forces personnel. It is aligned with the current Defense Buildup Program’s approximately ¥43 trillion five-year spending framework beginning in fiscal 2023, but could exceed ¥9 trillion during year-end budget negotiations as Japan revises its National Security Strategy and two other security documents.