CIOInsider India Magazine

Japan is diving deep into the underwater warfare edge by all means. Bolsters its defense by advancing its monitoring and warning systems is a significant aspect of this. In light of regional tensions, Japan's military drone strategy will cover submarine defense capabilities and maritime security to bolster its underwater surveillance, promising the safety of its shipping lanes, including other maritime communication routes, which are considered vital for global trade and economic stability. Chances are that Japan’s military drones could be stronger than ever with this new plan.

Aimed to bolster Japan’s ocean policy, the strategy commands a few big agendas, starting with developing unmanned underwater vehicles to independently traverse underwater. Many governing bodies and ministries are working in tandem toward the goal of positioning Japan as a true ocean-resource country.

AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) will be put through demonstration testing by the government in June in preparation for their eventual practical application.

Use Cases of the Underwater Drones
Underwater drones, or AUVs, are anticipated to be deployed in deep-sea regions with high water pressure and hazardous environments. Tens of millions of yen to more than one billion yen are involved in the production cost of each unit.

The government plans demonstration tests for offshore wind power generation, including the inspection of floating facilities, in addition to the selection of suitable sites, with the goal of extending their adoption in the future. The government intends to substitute undersea power cables for already-existing oil pipelines on the ocean floor in the scheduled tests in order to look for damage and fouling.

Other objectives also cover a variety of topics under the strategy. To name a few, it calls for rare earth seabed mining and designates research projects in the vicinity of Minami-Torishima island, a remote outpost under Tokyo's control in the Ogasawara island group.

The strategy also plans to generate rare earth materials at least by the fiscal year 2028, which could reduce the nation’s reliance on external suppliers for these vital minerals. In the nation’s main economic zones, the strategy denotes the installation of systems for the establishment of offshore wind power-producing capabilities. Therefore, the strategy plans to deploy a generous amount of wind resources found at the sea, as these are a part of larger objectives for renewable energy. For this matter, it is said that strategy holds significance in having effective data collection methods, especially for secluded islands near the national borders. This is essential for maintaining the nation’s territorial integrity for its heightened understanding of the marine domain.

The strategy is expected to be complete by the end of this month. This represents a major move by bolstering Japan’s marine capabilities and reaffirming its presence in the face of dynamic geopolitical forces in the Asia-Pacific area.

Three Models of AUVs
It is said that Tokyo plans to have three different types of AUVs developed indigenously and ready by 2030. The vehicles are expected to perform surveillance, monitor the environment and map the bottom topography. It is believed that AUVs have a competitive edge in monitoring marine hotspots and safeguarding underwater infrastructure like communication cables due to their detectability and high endurance.

Partnerships with Other Countries
For this matter, both Japan and Australia have joined forces to conduct underwater drone research in which information exchange and interoperability are the two main goals of the collaboration. The two talked about collaboratively studying the advancement of underwater drone technology starting this year. In fact, it was said that the action was the first tangible initiative the US allies had worked on based on their agreement to expedite the process for joint technical research on defense tools last year. But Tokyo’s plan to prioritize underwater drones is believed to have sprung from one of the many lessons learned from the crisis in Ukraine. Japan is not the only one; it has also made other countries consider raising the bar in technology for their military equipment.

Need for Advancing Defense Technology from Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Recent occurrences have demonstrated how useful underwater drones are in contemporary warfare. Kyiv has effectively used relatively cheap sea drones to hit multiple Russian warships in the current confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, demonstrating the potential of this technology in asymmetric warfare scenarios.
Accordingly, Japan announced prioritizing the development of unmanned systems in its 2022 National Defense Strategy towards the end of 2022. The success of the US unmanned platform deployment to the air bases at Misawa, Yokota, and Kanoya is proof that Tokyo supports widespread drone operations from Japan.

China’s Maritime Defense Capabilities
Given the importance of underwater drones in maritime policy, Japanese defense strategists are looking into smaller, ‘attritable’ platforms to break through China's area-denial, anti-access barrier. Japan will have more capabilities in contested marine regions if more of these disposable, affordable underwater drones are purchased.

Tensions have increased as a result of disputes over marine territories and sea lanes between the PRC and other littoral governments. Canberra accused a Chinese warship in November 2023 of injuring divers from the Royal Australian Navy by operating its sonar close to them as they were removing fishing nets from the propellers of their ship.

Japan has invested in underwater defense capabilities, including Taigei-class submarines outfitted with cutting-edge technologies, in response to the threat of Beijing possibly increasing its ballistic-missile submarine presence in the Sea of Japan.

On the other hand, Japan has inked a trilateral coordination with South Korea and the US for possible submarine threats. The three countries have acknowledged the complexities that Beijing's maritime actions have created.

Stretching southwestward from Kagoshima Prefecture to Okinawa Prefecture is the Nansei Island chain. This collection of islands includes the Senkaku Islands, which are in the East China Sea and are claimed by Beijing but under Japanese sovereignty. China refers to these islands as Diaoyu.

Currently, minelaying operations are carried out using the ships and aircraft of Japan's Self-Defense Force (SDF). It is feared, nevertheless, that enemies may be able to locate the mines by tracking these aircraft and ships using satellites and other technologies.

The administration is trying to lessen these risks for the SDF by using underwater drones. At the same time, it seeks to make it more difficult for enemies to organize invasions using ships and submarines.