Algorithm for combat: Japan will entrust AI with army management
Japan is increasingly militarizing itself and now intends to connect artificial intelligence to the management of Self-Defense Forces. Tokyo is considering the American Maven Smart System and Lattice systems. They will be able to analyze the situation, control drones and help in preparing strikes. Experts warn of the danger of transferring guidance functions to machines — the price of the mistake has already been shown by the American airstrike on an elementary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran. How the new system will work and how it threatens Russia amid the dispute over the Kuril Islands is in the Izvestia article.
Japan includes AI
Back in 1954, Tokyo created the Self—Defense Forces - in fact, its own army with land, sea and air forces. Its number is approximately 250 thousand people, which is one third more than in the Bundeswehr. Although Japan's Constitution prohibits the country from waging war, Tokyo has been actively building up its military capabilities in recent years. Now the authorities have decided to connect artificial intelligence to the command and control of troops.
According to Nikkei, they are eyeing two advanced American systems at once. "The Japanese government is considering the use of several American AI systems within the command and control units of the Self—Defense Forces for faster decision-making in parallel with the further integration of operations with the US military," the statement said. The platforms are planned to be used in the preparation of retaliatory strikes, in missile defense and to control drones.
One of them is Palantir's Maven Smart System. It collects information from satellites, drones, radars, and electronic intelligence equipment. With its help, the military can detect a target, prepare a strike, and then verify its result. At the same time, the system has already been used by the US military to attack Iran. And, according to media reports, she did not identify an error in the outdated target database, where an elementary school for girls in the city of Minab was designated as a military facility. As a result of the American strike on February 28, 175 people were killed.
The second system is Lattice from Anduril Industries. It aggregates data from radars, cameras, and other sensors, recognizes objects and threats, and helps control drones and coordinate troops on land, in the air, and at sea.
At the same time, Tokyo does not want to transfer classified military information to American companies, and therefore a Japanese AI model can be installed over Maven and Lattice, which will distribute tasks between them and decide which system to use.
Japan is already creating such a platform. Since 2024, the Joint Headquarters of the Self-Defense Forces and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have been developing a program for command and control of troops. It is planned to be launched next year. Sakana AI startup was also involved in the work. In March, the company received a multi-year contract for a system that will collect and analyze data, including from drones.
On a war footing
Japan is moving further away from the pacifism enshrined in its constitution. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who came to power last fall, is particularly actively promoting the course of rearmament. Under her leadership, there was renewed talk in the country about revising the three non-nuclear principles. "I am concerned that compliance with the three non-nuclear principles may become an obstacle in the event of an extreme crisis," the politician said.
However, in a country that survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the nuclear issue remains extremely painful. According to a nationwide survey, 77% of Japanese opposed the joint use of nuclear weapons with the United States.
The new course is also reflected in the annual White Paper on Defense. This year, the document has grown to a record 598 pages. The document calls China an "unprecedented and major" strategic challenge, North Korea a "more serious and imminent threat," and Russia a "source of serious concern."
Tokyo is now launching its largest rearmament program since World War II. Military spending has already been increased to 2% of GDP, and the budget for fiscal year 2026 for the first time exceeded 9 trillion yen — about $57 billion. The funds will be used, among other things, for the purchase of upgraded Type 12 missiles and the deployment of the SHIELD drone system. In addition, Japan, together with Great Britain and Italy, is developing a sixth-generation fighter.
The island nation's military plans provoked a sharp reaction from its neighbors. The sister of North Korean leader Kim Yo Jong said Pyongyang would prepare "additional military options" in response to Japan's transformation into a military power. "In no case will we allow the military evolution of Japan, which could become a serious threat to the security of the DPRK," she said.
Beijing also criticized it. "Japan's new White Paper on Defense is replete with false claims, deliberately inflates the so-called security crisis in the region and actively promotes the concept of the Chinese threat," said Chen Xi, an official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the People's Republic of China.
Moscow had also previously warned that the deployment of American Typhon missile systems in Japan would pose a direct threat to Russia's Far Eastern borders.
What the experts say
The Palantir system is actively working with the Ukrainian army, military expert Anatoly Matviychuk recalled. Its systems help to gather intelligence, find targets, and plan strikes on Russian territory. In particular, the recent attacks in Starobilsk are associated with the use of such technologies.
Russia. LNR. The aftermath of a drone attack on a college in Starobilsk
— The conclusion of such agreements indicates that Japan is modernizing its armed forces in accordance with modern standards. It is moving further away from traditional pacifism, and the Self—Defense Forces are actually turning into a full-fledged army with tanks, planes and submarines," the source told Izvestia.
He also drew attention to the renewed discussions in Japan about nuclear weapons. So far, we are only talking about the possibility of deploying American weapons, but in the future, the country may consider creating its own arsenal.
— Japan is Russia's neighbor in the Far East, and relations with it are still unresolved. There remains the issue of the so-called northern territories, or the Kuril Islands. I think Japan is hatching aggressive plans to return these territories by force," the analyst said.
Military expert Vasily Dandykin also admitted that under the new prime minister, the country is increasingly resorting to bellicose rhetoric. According to him, the alliance of Japan, the United States and South Korea has actually turned into a kind of "mini-NATO", and its activities are primarily directed against China, North Korea and Russia.
At the same time, Moscow is already taking into account the military reinforcement of Japan in protecting the Far Eastern borders, the source added. In particular, he linked the large-scale exercises of the Pacific Fleet to this. At the same time, Russia can develop its own military systems using artificial intelligence.
— Information about such developments is most likely classified. But now it is impossible to imagine a modern army without such technologies," Dandykin stressed.
The specialist sees the main danger in the fact that the combat system may receive too much authority and independence when choosing a target.
— What used to be described in fiction as the rise of machines is gradually becoming a reality. Therefore, it is important that the final decision always remains with the person," he urged.
Artificial intelligence is becoming a familiar tool for any technologically advanced army, Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, confirmed. Such systems speed up the processing of intelligence, help to issue target designations and control troops. Therefore, their appearance in Japan was only a matter of time. Moreover, today the country is rapidly abandoning the checks and restrictions that characterized it after the Second World War.
— This is a new reality. It will affect not only Japan, but absolutely all countries and regions. It is necessary to understand, analyze and predict the risks and threats of these processes, including for Russia," the expert concluded.
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