Japan—a key United States security ally—plans to acquire additional patrol vessels and drones amid China's presence around disputed islands with its armed coast guard fleet.
The uninhabited islet group in the East China Sea, the Senkaku Islands, is administered by Japan but claimed by China as part of its territory, which is known as the Diaoyu Islands.
has contacted China's Foreign Ministry via a written request for comment.
Why It Matters
The China coast guard operates the world's largest maritime law enforcement fleet, with more than 150 vessels over 1,000 tons—including two 12,000-ton "monster ships," the largest coast guard vessels in the world—bolstering Beijing's presence in disputed waters.
China commenced assertive patrols around the Senkaku Islands with coast guard vessels often equipped with autocannons in 2012, when Japan nationalized the previously privately owned island group, raising Tokyo's concerns that Beijing is trying to alter the status quo.
The Senkaku Islands, part of Japan's southwestern outlying islands, form a defensive line with Japan's main islands, Taiwan, and the Philippines under a U.S. containment strategy designed to restrict China's military activity in the Western Pacific in the event of war.
What To Know
The Japan coast guard on Tuesday unveiled its fiscal 2026 budget request—covering the year starting in April—which includes plans to purchase four MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones and build two large patrol ships to boost maritime surveillance, The Japan Times reported.
Japan operates three SeaGuardian drones, deployed around the Senkaku Islands since April to monitor Chinese vessels. Two more are scheduled to join the fleet by March 2026, while the planned four additional drones could enter service in fiscal 2028, according to the report.
The drone's manufacturer, U.S. defense contractor General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, said the SeaGuardian is designed to provide "persistent maritime domain awareness" and can conduct search and patrol missions for more than 30 hours in all weather conditions.
Regarding the planned pair of patrol ships, The Sankei Shimbun reported they will displace 3,500 tons and be equipped with a helicopter. The Japan coast guard operates a fleet of 147 patrol vessels of different types, including 20 large ships capable of launching helicopters.
The Japan coast guard requested a budget of ¥317.7 billion ($2.15 billion) for fiscal 2026, a 14 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, making it the largest ever. For fiscal 2027, Tokyo has previously decided to allocate ¥320 billion ($2.16 billion) to the coast guard.
In addition to the dispute over the Senkaku Islands, Japan has accused China of continuing to construct structures for oil and gas development in the East China Sea, where the two countries have yet to delimit their 230-mile-wide exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
What People Are Saying
The Japan coast guard said in its 2025 report: "The [China coast guard] vessels are confirmed to have become larger, armed, and reinforced, so the situation concerning around Senkaku Islands has become increasingly serious."
China's Foreign Ministry's website wrote: "Diaoyu [Island] and its affiliated islands are an inseparable part of the Chinese territory. Diaoyu [Island] is China's inherent territory in all historical, geographical and legal terms, and China enjoys indisputable sovereignty over Diaoyu [Island]."
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether China will further expand its coast guard fleet to strengthen its presence around the Senkaku Islands and in the East China Sea to assert its sovereignty.
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