# Japan plots record $55 billion defense spend — retained record

> Retained news record from news:semafor.

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source: [news](https://highsignal.app/data/news) (news:semafor)  published 2026-08-31 22:32 ingested 2026-09-01 02:50

[original source ↗](https://www.semafor.com/article/08/31/2026/japan-plots-record-55-billion-defense-spend)

## retained text



```
Japan will seek to build more drones and missiles as part of a record defense spend of more than $55 billion next year, amid growing concerns over China’s military assertiveness.
Under a plan that Beijing has decried as “new militarism,” Japan is targeting more uncrewed weapons systems — including a new 3D-printed drone fleet — to compensate for its aging population.
Tokyo also sees threats from North Korea and Russia: Vladimir Putin visited the formerly Japanese Kuril Islands earlier this month for the first time, reigniting a 150-year-old feud.
Still, the record top-line figure is a modest increase over this year’s budget, lagging South Korea and Taiwan, and may prove too incremental to satisfy US demands.
```



document fetched 2026-09-01 02:50 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/08/31/2026/japan-plots-record-55-billion-defense-spend