Japan Is Building Cardboard Suicide Drones

Source: Hacker News

Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi showcases cardboard drone

Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi posed with a cardboard drone (tweet) on Monday during a meeting with drone manufacturer AirKamuy.

The AirKamuy 150 is a low‑cost, pre‑fabricated cardboard drone designed to be expendable on the battlefield. It ships flat‑packed, similar to an IKEA shelf.

Operational use

• According to Koizumi, Japan’s military has already begun employing the cardboard drone.
• “The Japan Maritime Self‑Defense Force is already utilizing them as targets,” he said in a post on X (link).

Strategic outlook

Koizumi emphasized the broader goal of expanding unmanned assets:

“In aiming to become the Self‑Defense Forces that makes the most extensive use of unmanned assets, including drones, in the world, strengthening collaboration with startups enthusiastic about the defense sector is indispensable.”