Japan is reassessing how it prepares for war, turning to Ukraine’s battlefield experience and low-cost drones capable of intercepting Shaheds as tensions around Taiwan and Chinese military activity continue to rise, The Japan Times reported on July 14.

Japanese defense officials are paying closer attention to the way Ukraine uses inexpensive FPV drones and other unmanned systems to destroy or intercept weapons that cost many times more.

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That battlefield equation is challenging Japan’s traditional reliance on expensive, highly advanced defense systems. Ukraine has demonstrated that large numbers of affordable drones can provide an effective answer to costly military equipment and mass aerial attacks.

The lessons are particularly relevant as Tokyo prepares to defend remote islands and respond to potential large-scale pressure in the Indo-Pacific.

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