As already reported in Militär Aktuellshortly after Christmas, the Japanese cabinet approved a record draft for the 2026 defense budget of around nine trillion yen (around 48.8 billion euros). In particular, air defense capabilities, coastal defense and the use of cruise missiles and unmanned systems are to be strengthened – in addition, the number of ammunition depots throughout the country is to be increased from the current 1,400 to 1,530 by the budget year 2032.
This plan by the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) is due to the tense security situation in East Asia and is one of the priorities set out in the national defense strategy adopted by the government in December 2022, which calls for an increase in ammunition production and a corresponding increase in the number of ammunition depots in order to sustainably strengthen Japan’s defense capability in the event of prolonged hostilities.
The budget allocated for this since 2022 until the end of March 2026 amounts to a total of around 48.2 billion yen (around 264 million euros). The draft budget from April 2026 provides for around 56 billion yen (around 307 million euros).
According to the MoD, the locations for 65 of the planned 130 new ammunition depots have already been determined. They are all located within existing facilities of the Self-Defense Forces:
- 16 on the main island of Hokkaido,
- 25 on the main island of Honshu, including 6 in Aomori Prefecture, 18 in Kyoto Prefecture and 1 in Hiroshima Prefecture,
- 19 on the main island of Kyushu, including 9 in Oita Prefecture, 5 in Miyazaki Prefecture and 5 in Kagoshima Prefecture,
- and 5 in the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa.
This expansion also brings with it increasing logistical challenges, as the ammunition has to be transported from the depots to those who need it. Currently, the transfer of troops and material is mainly carried out by ship (-> New ships for Japan’s maritime transportation group), by air or by road, with the latter two having greater limitations than ships in terms of the weight and dimensions of the transported goods. In the case of maritime transportation, on the other hand, there is a high risk of sea blockades by mines or submarines in the event of an emergency.
One option that has been used comparatively little to date is transportation by rail. This has been used on a small scale on a case-by-case basis since 2011 during some maneuvers by the Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF) and was limited to armored wheeled vehicles and containers loaded with ammunition and equipment.
For Japan, which faces both a Chinese and a Russian threat scenario, the ability to quickly move large troop units or quantities of equipment and heavy transport goods from north to south (or vice versa) is of fundamental importance. Therefore, the MoD has a strong interest in another “logistical foothold”, but relies on cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, to which it submitted documents in May 2022 to substantiate this urgent need from the MoD’s point of view, which included information on rail use in the JGSDF maneuvers and analyses of the extensive use of rail transport on both sides in the Ukraine conflict.
In the Japanese railroad system, specific problems arise for military use due to the existence of different track gauges, load limits, wagon widths and clearance gauges. clearance gaugesthe existence of numerous tunnels due to the mountainous structure of the country and the inconsistent infrastructure. Necessary adaptations require a great deal of effort, which is likely to be the reason for delays. However, the transport of battle tanks from Hokkaido to Honshu through the Seikan underwater tunnel on the Shinkansen tracks alone would be an effective improvement for national defense.
The latest activity in relation to military rail transport is the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF) tender for the analysis of the impact on torpedoes transported by rail, published in early December 2025 and addressed to civilian companies. Specifically, the Mark 46 and Type 12, 18, 89, 89 (B) and 97 torpedoes used by the JMSDF on destroyers and submarines are listed.
It remains to be seen how quickly and to what extent the use of the rail network by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will increase.
Here for more news about the Japanese armed forces.
