According to the Japan Broadcasting Association on September 27, the Ministry of Defense of Japan is considering the adoption of ammunition-proof civilian vehicles as the next generation of the Self-Defense Army light armored vehicles, will test models such as Toyota "Land Cruise".

According to reports, the Japanese Land Self-Defense Force currently has a total of about 1,800 light armored vehicles, about 80% of which have exceeded the year of use. The Defense Ministry is discussing the replacement of light armored vehicles. Sources revealed that the Defense Ministry will first consider the use of civilian vehicles as armored vehicles, will purchase civilian models such as Toyota "Land Cruiser" in 2026 and be modified, and tested in 2028.

As to the reasons for considering the use of civilian vehicles as armoured vehicles, sources quoted the report as saying that manufacturers who previously supplied armoured vehicles to the Defense Forces no longer produced armoured vehicles, while the offerings of other manufacturers were too high, exceeding the defense province's expectations.

According to the report, the cost of testing civilian vehicles was included in the Defense Province's 2026 fiscal year defense budget application, reaching 6,5 billion yen (about 31 million yuan).The Defense Province submitted to the Ministry of Finance at the end of August the 2026 fiscal year budget application, increasing defense expenses to a record 8.8 trillion yen (about 4.282 billion yuan).

In order to thoroughly strengthen the defence forces, the Japanese government¡¯s five-year defence spending from 2023 to 2027 will total about 43 trillion yen.A military expert said on August 18 that Japan¡¯s defence budget has been breaking every year, behind the response to the United States, intending to break through the ¡°determined defence¡± system, seeking the so-called ¡°national normalization.¡±