Japanese e-commerce and finance conglomerate Rakuten Group is working with German defence startup Helsing to finalise a sale of unmanned strike systems to Japan's military, as Tokyo moves to bolster its domestic drone production capabilities.
The Ground Self-Defense Force is currently testing Helsing's HX-2 strike drone, with field trials running through the end of September. Helsing, valued at $18 billion after raising $1.8 billion in July, reached an initial agreement with the Japanese government earlier this year. Rakuten, which has operated in the drone sector since around 2015, previously assisted Ukrainian drone software firm Swarmer with a military demonstration in Japan.
The partnership arrives ahead of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's planned first visit to Japan in late October, where he is expected to discuss security cooperation with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Japan's government plans to revise its three key security documents this year, outlining a policy to strengthen domestic drone manufacturing capacity.