Non-Lethal Weapons Market to Hit $13.3 Billion by 2037 as U.S. and Japan Boost Security

TOKYO, Japan - June 25, 2026 - PRLog -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (U.S) interprets the 1968 Gun Control Act based on how a projectile moves, not how much damage it actually does. So, a newer TASER gets recorded as "deadly force" in most states, even though it isn't.

In March 2025, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald introduced the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De‑Escalate Act. Backed by the Major County Sheriffs Association and the Major City Chiefs Association, the bill aims to fix that classification mess. The fact that a bipartisan bill is needed to tell a TASER apart from a Glock tells you two things: the technology has outrun the law, and police departments are pushing hard for legislative cover.

That pressure comes from accountability, plain and simple. National Institute of Justice research shows that deploying conducted energy devices or pepper spray cuts injury rates for both civilians and officers compared to hands-on restraint. Fewer injuries mean less medical liability and better officer retention. And according to a 2025 Congressional Research Service report, 65% of the U.S. agencies have already authorized the use of chemical irritant projectiles.

Non-Lethal Weapons Market: Japan's build‑out

Japan doesn't grab headlines in this space, but it should. The Act for Controlling Firearms or Swords (1958) makes civilian gun ownership almost impossible, and Japanese police have always relied on non‑lethal tools—water barriers, batons, chemical agents—as primary gear, not backup options. That institutional muscle is already there.

What's new is defense spending. Japan's National Defense Strategy commits to 2% of GDP by FY2027, with total outlays of 43 trillion yen (roughly $286 billion) across FY2023–2027. The Japan Self-Defense Forces launched a Joint Operations Command in March 2025, and the 2024 Police White Paper flags organized crime and firearms violations as growing priorities. That creates real procurement headroom for advanced non‑lethal systems, from microwave‑based directed energy to next‑gen kinetic projectiles.

Non-Lethal Weapons Market: The math

SDKI Analytics values the global non‑lethal weapons market at USD 6.9 billion in 2024 and projects it to reach USD 13.3 billion by 2037, a 5.2% CAGR. Law enforcement still leads, but defense applications are catching up, especially in gray‑zone conflict and peacekeeping where lethal force isn't an option.

"Agencies aren't buying tasers because they're progressive," said an SDKI senior analyst. "They're buying them because the liability math finally favors a trigger pull that doesn't bury a department in lawsuits."

Contact: SDKI Analytics | info@sdki.jp | +81 50 50509337 | www.sdki.jp