With the U.S. military's increased reliance on unmanned aircraft, it was just a matter of time before allies South Korea and Japan saw the potential benefits, too. Japan's Ministry of Defense requested about $38 million over the next four years for research to develop a homemade drone. "I think it's just a logical interest in new technologies," said Robert Dujarric, director of TUJ's Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies. "How much money they're willing to put in it is the key question."