Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper Digest

The following is the English translation of Japan’s 2026 Defense White Paper digest, released Aug. 4, 2026.

From the Report

The time has come for our annual release of our white paper, “Defense of Japan.”

Each year personnel from around the Ministry of Defense (MOD), including civilians and members of the Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces, are brought together to form a team and prepare the white paper over the course of approximately one year.

This year’s white paper outlines the security environment surrounding Japan and the initiatives undertaken by the MOD and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), and attempts to provide clear explanations of key developments and topics regarding the progress made in reinforcing Japan’s defense capabilities.

Upon preparing the white paper, I have asked the white paper team to ensure that the activities of the MOD/JSDF are conveyed not only to experts and specialists in Japan and overseas, but also to the Japanese public at large. The team has brought expertise from across the entire MOD, exercised its creativity, and decided to take on new approaches such as creating videos and booklets to introduce the content of the white paper and make it more engaging to a wider audience.

As for the content of the white paper, the security environment surrounding Japan is as severe and complex as it has ever been since the end of World War II. Even in East Asia, the possibility of serious situations taking place that might shake the foundation of the stable postwar international order cannot be ruled out.

After the formulation of the current “Three Strategic Documents,” including the National Security Strategy, challenges to the free and open international order based on the rule of law have intensified. In the Indo-Pacific, not only are China and North Korea further strengthening their military capabilities, China-Russia and Russia-North Korea are also reinforcing their cooperation. Drawing lessons from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, countries around the world are quickly preparing for “new ways of warfare,” such as mass employment of unmanned assets, as well as getting ready for prolonged conflicts, bringing accelerated changes to the security environment in a wide range of domains. This year’s white paper extensively covers developments related to these “new ways of warfare” and incorporates analyses by researchers from the National Institute for Defense Studies.

To resolutely defend the lives and peaceful livelihoods of Japanese nationals, Japan’s territorial land, waters, and airspace, as well as to protect every member of the JSDF who carries out these missions and their families, it is imperative that Japan further reinforce and transform its defense capabilities with a stronger sense of urgency and crisis than ever before. Based on this understanding, last fiscal year the Government of Japan brought forward the goal to achieve the defense budget level of 2% of GDP outlined in the current National Security Strategy. In the FY2026 budget, expenditures, inclusive of expenses related to the Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO) and the realignment of U.S. Forces in Japan, exceeded 9 trillion yen for the first time. Furthermore, the “Three Strategic Documents” will be revised ahead of schedule within this year. Also, shortly after assuming office, I have established the Promotion HQ for Transformation of Defense Capabilities within the MOD, where in-depth discussions are being held from a variety of perspectives.

At the same time, peace and stability in the region cannot be achieved by any country alone.

The Japan-U.S. Alliance is a key pillar of our national security policy. During my meeting with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth this January, we confirmed that Japan and the U.S. have been working closely together under the unwavering Alliance and exchanged candid views on concrete measures to further enhance Japan-U.S. defense cooperation. I will make continued efforts to elevate the Alliance to new heights.

Since assuming office, I have also built relationships of trust with leaders through various meetings. To realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” we are advancing bilateral efforts as well as multilateral efforts such as minilateral cooperation1 of Japan-U.S.-Australia, Japan-U.S.-ROK, and Japan-U.S.-Australia-Philippines, and cooperation through the Japan- ASEAN, NATO-IP4,2 and PIPIR3 frameworks, along with the hosting of JPIDD4 and other international conferences.

As the security environment becomes increasingly and rapidly severe, what is required now is to strengthen resilience against crises all across the entire Indo-Pacific region. In order to do so, Japan will build and expand multilayered networks among allies and like-minded countries, and enhance interconnectivity with like-minded countries and others in every area, such as training, operations, defense equipment, and industrial bases. As a result, we will aim to improve the deterrence capabilities of the region as a whole.

Furthermore, defense production and technological bases are a virtually integral part of defense capability itself, and their reinforcement is indispensable. This year’s white paper has enriched its content on defense production and technological bases, and elevated it from a single “Chapter” to a “Part.” A wide range of perspectives from companies supporting the defense industry, startups, and researchers in the fields of science and technology are presented as column articles.

The MOD will continue to coordinate closely with industries and work together with relevant ministries and agencies to build a robust and sustainable defense industry. In doing so, cooperation with startup companies is also critical. In April of this year, the MOD hosted the Defense Innovation Meeting, an event aimed at further promoting the utilization of startups in the defense sector, in which numerous startup companies and venture capital firms participated.

Also the transfer of defense equipment is highly significant. In addition to strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of Japan’s ally and like-minded countries, it allows countries to possess the same equipment and share production and maintenance and sustainment infrastructure, thereby enabling the provision of mutual support. At the same time, it helps ensure the domestic production capacity necessary for sustained operational capability. In light of these considerations, the Government of Japan revised the “Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology” and their “Implementation Guidelines,” including the abolition of the so-called “Five Categories.”

In recent years, the distinction between technologies for civilian use and technologies for security purposes has become blurred, and the domain of dual-use technologies for both defense and civilian use is expanding. Reinforcing the defense production and technological bases and investing in research and development are becoming ever more important to sustaining Japan’s defense capabilities. Also, as a result such efforts in turn can generate benefits, including economic ripple effects and the creation of new dual-use technologies.

Needless to say, the source of defense capabilities that support these efforts is the “personnel.” Not only the JSDF personnel but also their families are essential members of national defense.

This year’s white paper has a new chapter entitled “The Professionalism of JSDF Personnel.” The chapter highlights how each member of the JSDF, comprised of not only uniformed personnel but also administrative officials, technical officials, instructors, and others, fulfill important responsibilities in their respective fields, tasked with the enduring mission of protecting Japan’s peace and independence. The chapter also features the perspectives of family members and children who support these personnel.

In addition, the MOD is advancing initiatives such as the unique revision of the JSDF personnel compensation structure for the first time since the establishment of the JSDF. Even with the changes of the times and society, we are committed to creating an environment where all personnel, regardless of their specialty, age, gender, and place of assignment, can devote themselves to their missions with pride and honor. Since assuming office, I have visited many units of the JSDF, and will continue to listen to the voices from the field and actively work on sharing information to the public, strengthening recruitment activities, and creating a rewarding and meaningful job environment.

The efforts of the MOD/JSDF to transform Japan’s defense capabilities can be realized only with the understanding and support of each and every Japanese citizen and the international community. I hope this white paper will help as many readers as possible to better comprehend the security environment surrounding Japan and the efforts made by the MOD/JSDF.

Koizumi Shinjiro

Japan Defense Minister

Download the document here.