Japan's defense strategy overhaul will focus on unmanned systems and dispersed forces to counter China's military advances, according to a new Washington think tank report aligned with Tokyo's expected policy updates.

What happened: The Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, has released a report with recommendations that overlap significantly with Japan's upcoming revisions to three strategic security documents—the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program—due later this year.

Why it matters: Both the Hudson Institute report and Japan's expected policy updates emphasize the same core priorities: the growing importance of unmanned systems, the threat of coordinated drone and missile attacks, and the need for more resilient and dispersed forces. This alignment suggests Japan's defense establishment is converging on how to respond to China's expanding military capabilities.

What to watch: The debate within Japan is no longer whether the Self-Defense Forces must adapt to new forms of warfare, but rather how those strategic concepts should be translated into concrete military capabilities—a shift that will shape defense spending and procurement decisions as the revised documents are finalized later this year.