According to the website of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post on August 18th, against the backdrop of long-term manpower shortages and escalating regional tensions, Japan announced plans to establish a new research center focused on advanced military hardware to enhance its defense capabilities. The Ministry of Defense has instructed the research center to develop "disruptive" weapons, such as hypersonic missiles and artificial intelligence drones that can navigate under power outage conditions, in order to completely change Japan's military strength. The center is scheduled to be established in October and will operate with the support of the Defense Equipment Department of the Ministry of Defense. Suzuki, a professor of science and technology policy at the University of Tokyo in Japan, said, "Japan must do more for itself." "We know that the United States is our most important ally, but equally, if we don't take enough measures to protect ourselves, the future US government may not help us," he told Asia Weekly reporters. "Our understanding has changed, that we cannot rely on the United States forever." Suzuki said that although Japan intends to continue its security alliance with the United States and actively seek to create similar mechanisms with other countries, the possibility of Trump returning to the White House after the November election has become a focus of attention in Tokyo. The report states that exacerbating these concerns are concerns about US military spending, such as the recent debate surrounding the US Air Force's decision to abandon the construction of sixth generation fighter jets under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The design of NGAD fighter jets combines high speed, longer range, and stealth technology to evade radar, with an estimated cost of hundreds of millions of dollars per fighter jet - according to a commentary article published on the "War Dilemma" website, this price is too high for the US Air Force, which is already facing budget pressures for new stealth bombers, more F-35 fighter jets, and next-generation strategic nuclear missiles. Galen Malloy, an international relations professor and military expert at Daito Bunka University in Japan, stated that financial constraints are a "major problem facing the United States". Although the US military has recently deployed its most advanced aircraft in Okinawa, analysts say Japan will still be disappointed that the US defense budget does not yet cover the NGAD sixth generation fighter jet project. According to reports, it is expected that Japan's new research center will collaborate with similar institutions in allied countries, including the United States, to help share the financial burden of developing advanced military systems. According to the report of Nihon Keizai Shimbun on August 21, the budget application for 2025, which is to be summarized by the Ministry of Defense of Japan at the end of August, will list more than 8 trillion yen (about $54.7 billion) in defense spending, a record high. The budget request includes the funds needed to purchase drones for attacking enemies. The Japanese government has set the total defense spending for the five years from 2023 to 2027 at around 43 trillion yen (approximately 294.2 billion US dollars), and has set a goal to increase defense spending to over 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, UAVs are considered as "rule changers" that change the balance of combat power, and all countries are promoting development. The Ministry of Defense also plans to position it as one of the pillars for strengthening defense capabilities. The report stated that the Japanese Self Defense Forces lack experience in using attack drones, so they have included them in the budget for official introduction. Attack drones not only reduce casualties caused by combat, but also have the advantage of being able to be used continuously for a long time. The budget request also includes related expenses for jointly developing artificial intelligence to be carried on drones with the US government. Research on the security issues of artificial intelligence will begin in the first half of 2025. In order to share missile attack intelligence and utilize electromagnetic waves for electronic warfare as soon as possible, the budget application also includes relevant funds. (New Society)