Shinjiro Koizumi
Japan's defence minister since October 2025; LDP lawmaker and son of ex-premier Junichiro Koizumi.
Shinjiro Koizumi said on 9 October 2026 that Japan's Defence Ministry has already concluded a contract for interceptor drones from Ukraine's SkyFall and is working towards early delivery, without disclosing the model, quantity or price.
Last refreshed: 26 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did Japan buy Ukrainian interceptor drones that never entered its own trial?
Timeline for Shinjiro Koizumi
Confirmed the SkyFall interceptor contract
Drones: Industry & Defence: Japan signs to buy SkyFall interceptorsBackground
Shinjiro Koizumi said on 9 October 2026 that the Japan Ministry of Defense "has already concluded an acquisition contract for interceptor drones made by Ukraine's SkyFall" and is working towards early delivery. Model, quantity and price remain undisclosed. SkyFall had also been absent from the summer trials in which Japan's procurement agency tested four interceptors.
Koizumi became defence minister on 21 October 2025 in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet. Born in 1981, he has represented Kanagawa's 11th district for the Liberal Democratic Party since 2009, and previously served as environment minister and as agriculture minister from May to October 2025. His father is former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.
The SkyFall deal sits beside larger drone spending: in August 2026 his ministry requested ¥292.2bn for 17 MQ-9B SeaGuardian maritime surveillance drones.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 October 2026. Editorial standards.