According to the country’s 2014 defense budget, the increased investments in UAVs are necessary to ”...build defense capabilities to ensure security of the seas and airspace surrounding Japan, respond to an attack on remote islands” —a not so subtle reference to the disputed Senkaku Islands, or the Diaoyu as they are known in China.
Although both countries claim their drones will only be used for surveillance purposes, experts warn that the possibility of future drone battles in the region’s airspace is “very high.”: Chinese state media last year reported that Beijing will build 11 drone bases along its coastline to boost ISR missions over the islands, and Japan has positioned itself as one of the key players in the escalating global race for military UAVs, a move that’s controversial both at home and abroad.
