Rakuten links Japan's military with a generation of autonomous weapons companies
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Rakuten has revealed it is now working with German defense AI startup Helsing to bring the company's military drones into Japan.
The Tokyo-based ecommerce and finance conglomerate is acting as the local broker between Helsing and Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force.
Field tests of Helsing's HX-2 strike drone began earlier this year and will run through the end of September 2026.
Helsing says it reached an "initial agreement" for the Japanese government to use its systems earlier in 2026, brokered through an unnamed local partner.
That partner was Rakuten, according to Nikkei, which first reported the tie-up between the two companies.
Rakuten has little defense industry experience of its own, but it wants to help more startups enter Japan's defense sector.
Hideaki Mukai, Chief of Staff to Rakuten's CEO, said startups face structural barriers including complex procurement systems and difficulty reaching government agencies.
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"Encouraging greater participation for startups in Japan's defense industry presents an important opportunity to strengthen the country's defense capabilities," he said.
Mukai added Rakuten hopes to bridge these gaps by connecting startups and emerging technologies with the needs of government agencies.
At the moment, there is no official confirmation from Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force about the arrangement.
Rakuten previously helped Ukrainian drone software maker Swarmer demonstrate its technology to a unit of Japan's military in late April.
That test used AI software to coordinate a swarm of drones in a seek-and-hit mission over Japanese territory.
