Drone Rivalry Intensifies Between US Ally and China

Facing an increasing need to scramble against Chinese military drones flying near its airspace, Japan will test the feasibility of deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to replace fighter jets for such missions, the country’s Defense Ministry confirmed to Newsweek.

Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

Japan—a key United States ally in containing China’s threat—regularly reports foreign military movements within its air defense identification zone, a self-declared buffer in international airspace, where fighter jets are deployed to prevent such aircraft from entering the country’s sovereign airspace, which extends 13.8 miles from its coastline.

While the two East Asian countries dispute ownership of an island group in the East China Sea, China’s persistent military deployment around Taiwan—a self-ruled island claimed by Beijing—has raised concerns in Japan over the security of its southwestern outlying islands, which could be caught in the crossfire of a potential conflict.

What To Know

Citing sources, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Monday that the Japanese Defense Ministry plans to use the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, an American-made drone designed for maritime patrols, to scramble against approaching Chinese drones.

According to the report, Japanese fighter jets intercepted nine Chinese drones in fiscal year 2023. This rose to 30 the following fiscal year. As of the end of August in the current fiscal year—April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026—16 drones had been spotted.

Over the past week, two Chinese drones were tracked flying over the waters between Taiwan and Yonaguni Island, Japan’s westernmost island, on Saturday and Monday. Japanese fighter jets were scrambled in both incidents to prevent airspace intrusion.

“We recognize that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in airspace intrusion response measures is a future challenge,” Japan’s Defense Ministry told Newsweek on Thursday, referring to the significant operational costs of deploying fighter jets.

According to the ministry, it has allocated approximately 1.1 billion yen ($7.4 million) in the fiscal year 2026 budget request as funding to examine the feasibility of using what it described as “loitering-type” drones for airspace intrusion response measures.

During a three-year period beginning next fiscal year, the Japanese military will study relevant operational procedures using the MQ-9B drone’s early deployment initiative. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Air Self-Defense Force will conduct the tests.

However, the report noted that the MQ-9B drone—capable of flying over 30 hours for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions—is not designed to be equipped with signal flares or missiles, which may be used during airspace intrusion response.

What People Are Saying

Japan’s defense white paper 2025 read: “China has been swiftly increasing its national defense expenditures, thereby extensively and rapidly enhancing its military capability in a qualitative and quantitative manner and intensifying its activities in the East China Sea, including around the Senkaku Islands, and the Pacific.”

The Joint Staff of Japan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday: “From September 12 to 15, due to the possibility of airspace violations in the East China Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, and Pacific Ocean, fighter aircraft from the Air Self-Defense Force’s Northern Air Defense Force and others were scrambled on an emergency basis and took action.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether Japan will expand its manned and unmanned aircraft fleets amid China’s growing military presence in nearby airspace, as its ally the U.S. has deployed multiple drone units across Japan.