Japan Defence Ministry on Sept 4 released its first analysis of fighting methods
in the US–Israel–Iran clashes since late February, saying Iran is employing
drones in a ‘new-style’ of combat and using mountainous terrain to its
advantage. Citing the Middle East assessment, the ministry said strengthening
drone and missile-defence capabilities is indispensable and reaffirmed the
importance of maritime geography for conventional operations. It called for
maintaining peacetime production capacity for sufficient missiles and the
ability to rapidly scale output in a crisis, and urged closer cooperation with
allies and partners to bolster production bases and supply chains and secure
contingency support. Tokyo plans to revise three security-related policy
documents by 2026.
