While defense equipment has become more advanced and
complex, the defense industry in Japan has been exposed
to harsh conditions due to a decrease in the number of units
procured caused by Japan’s severe fi nancial conditions
and an increase in imports of foreign-made equipment. In
addition, other countries are aiming to acquire advanced
military capabilities utilizing the latest technologies. In order
to ensure the quality of defense capabilities suffi ciently and
to enhance deterrence as well as response capabilities amid
the situation in which rapid advancements in technological
innovation have a signifi cant infl uence on the global security
environment, it is crucial that Japan ensure technological
superiority over other countries. Hence, Japan is required to
further develop defense equipment and technology policies
while also taking into account these points.
Amid such a situation, it is indispensable to work
on (1) strategic research and development for ensuring
Japan’s technological superiority, (2) maintenance and
strengthening of defense production and technological
bases, (3) strengthening of project management, and
(4) promotion of defense equipment and technology
cooperation, in order to maintain an environment in which
defense equipment that meets the SDF’s operational
needs will be procured into the future.
Section 1 Promotion of Research and Development for Ensuring Technological Superiority
1 Necessity of Ensuring Technological Superiority
As the security environment surrounding Japan becomes
increasingly severe, it is necessary to ensure technological
superiority by effectively utilizing Japan’s advanced
technological strength in order to protect the lives
and property of Japanese people in any situation.
Particularly in recent years, with the rapid advances in
technological innovation, it is forecast that we will see the
operationalization of so-called game-changing technology
that will completely transform combat aspects in the future,
and the United States and other countries are proceeding
hastily with research and development.
Part I, Chapter 3, Section 6 (Trends Concerning Military Science and Technology as well as Defense Production and Technological Bases)
Thus, as a nation, strategically working on the ways
to ensure technological superiority has become a pressing
issue from the perspective of ensuring Japan’s security.
The state-of-the-art military technologies in each country
are sensitive technologies that shall not be easily shared
with other countries. From the perspective of Japan, for the
areas, which should strategically maintain their domestic
technology platforms, it is necessary to promote research
and development domestically. In the case that international
joint development, etc. is carried out when acquiring
equipment, it is important that Japan owns cutting-edge
technology (key technology). This requires not only research
and development by the MOD, but also the promotion
of research and development by both the public and
private sectors together. Unless Japan possesses such key
technology, it will be unable to have bargaining power for
securing a leading position in conducting price negotiations
for equipment procurement and in implementing defense
equipment and technology cooperation.
See
2 Defense Technology Strategy, etc.
For the purpose of ensuring Japan’s technological
superiority, inventing as well as delivering advanced
equipment in an effective and effi cient manner, and
dealing with various policy issues pertaining to defense and
civilian technologies, the MOD formulated the Defense
Technology Strategy1 in August 2016, which presented the
1 The offi cial title is the Defense Technology Strategy - Towards Delivering Superior Defense Equipment and to Secure Technological Superiority –
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Measures on DefenseEquipment and TechnologyChapter 4
specifi c direction for various measures that should be
addressed strategically. In light of the National Security
Strategy and the National Defense Program Guidelines
(NDPG), this strategy provides the specifi c direction
for measures that should be addressed strategically, and
based on this the MOD promotes various measures.
1 Overview of Defense Technology Strategy
(1) MOD Technology Policy Objectives The following two objectives of the MOD technology
policy are designed to strengthen the technical capabilities,
which are the foundation of Japan’s defense capabilities, to
make the foundation more robust:
(i) Ensuring technical superiority
(ii) Delivering superior defense equipment through
effective and effi cient research and development
(2) Specifi c Measures to be PromotedThe following three measures are promoted to achieve
the objectives indicated in the previous paragraph.
(i) Grasping Technological Information
With regard to various scientifi c technologies that support
defense technologies, the MOD grasps the current
situation and trends both in and outside of Japan including
dual-use technology in the public and private sectors and
cutting-edge scientifi c technology. In addition, the MOD
develops and publishes the Medium- to Long Term
Defense Technology Outlook (see Paragraph 2 below)
to identify advanced technology fi elds, which have the
potential to become game changers.2
(ii) Development of Technologies
The MOD formulates the “Research and Development
Vision” (see Paragraph 3 below) that promotes medium-
to long-term research and development. At the same time,
it also promotes research and development that serve as
the foundation of defense force building and initiatives
such as “Innovative Science & Technology Initiative for
Security,” which puts into perspective the identifi cation
and development of advance technology expected to be
used for technology exchange with relevant domestic/
overseas agencies and defense purposes.
(iii) Protection of Technologies
The MOD implements technology control for proper
technology transfer to prevent situations in which
Japan’s technology leaks without the country’s intention,
undermining the maintenance of the peace and security
of the international community or ensuring Japan’s
technological superiority. The MOD also establishes
intellectual property management taking into account
the transfer of defense equipment and promotes the
utilization of intellectual property.
2 Medium- to Long-Term Defense Technology Outlook
The Medium- to Long-Term Defense Technology Outlook3
presents an outlook of the technologies that can be applied
to equipment expected to be established in roughly the
next 20 years, and indicates technology fi elds that need
to be developed in order to ensure Japan’s technological
superiority, with a particular focus on advanced technology
fi elds that have the potential to become game changers. It is
expected that making this Outlook public will facilitate the
integration of superior civilian advanced technologies and
the development of technologies outside of the ministries
aimed at defense equipment applications.
This Outlook selects and makes a comprehensive
assessment of 57 cases of “future equipment technologies”4
and 21 cases of “potential technologies,”5 and on that basis,
identifi es the following four technology fi elds as the focus
of research and development going forward:
(i) Efforts for unmanned technology
(ii) Efforts for smart and network technology
(iii) Efforts for high-power energy technology
(iv) Efforts to improve the function and performance of
legacy systems
3 “Research and Development Vision”
The “Research and Development Vision” provides
the direction of medium to long-term research and
development by clarifying technical challenges regarding
equipment that are deemed to become important, and
presenting a concept for defense equipment that looks
ahead to the future and a roadmap for research and
development to achieve the concept.
The MOD publishes research and development
visions and shares them with the defense industry, with
the aim of increasing predictability for relevant companies
Dual-use technology
Technology that can be used for both civilian and defense purposes.
KeyWord
2 A game changer here refers to technology fi elds that have the potential to completely transform the future military balance.3 The offi cial title is the Fiscal Year 2016 Medium- to Long-Term Technology Outlook4 Technology fi elds with future importance and element technology5 Technologies, which are in the basic research stage at this point in time, but which will dramatically enhance the function of existing equipment, etc. and have the potential for inventing new equipment, if
applied to equipment, etc. in the future
Section 1Promotion of Research and Development for Ensuring Technological Superiority
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and realizing more effective and efficient research and
development. So far, the Ministry has prepared and
published the “Future Fighter Vision” in August 2010
and the “Research and Development Vision of Future
Unmanned Equipment: Focusing on Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle” in August 2016.
The MOD will continue to establish and publish
research and development visions for equipment that
requires development and enhancement of technological
bases while ascertaining trends in defense technologies.
3 Initiatives regarding Research and Development
The MOD invents equipment that meets the needs of the
SDF indicated in the Medium Term Defense Program
(MTDP), including (1) improvement of air defense
capability, (2) enhancement of intelligence, surveillance,
and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, (3) unmanned
equipment that can be used flexibly at times of various
contingencies including large-scale disasters, and
(4) enhancement of the capacity of existing equipment.
The MOD also makes proposals regarding highly
promising technologies based on technological trends,
as well as adopting advanced technologies and dual-use
technologies for prototyping, and conducts testing and
evaluation of the prototype equipment.
Particularly for improving air defense capability,
with regard to future fighters, the MOD conducts
demonstrational research on the high-mobility stealth
fighter “Advanced Technology Demonstrator (ATD-X)”
to be able to take into account the development (including
the possibility of international joint development) of
fighters as an option before the retirement of F-2 fighters.
Along with this research, the MOD also carries out
strategic studies such as research on technology related to
radomes that have complex shapes for enhanced stealth
property, and integrated fire control technology for
expanded shooting opportunities and improved shooting
efficiency through cooperation among multiple aircraft.
This will enable the fighter-related technology to be
compiled and advanced within Japan. The decision on
the development will be made by FY2018 and necessary
measures will be taken accordingly. Furthermore, the
MOD carries out a study on the element technology based
on the high-power laser system, which can be applied to
close air defense of vessels and bases, and a study on the
technology, which induces malfunction or destruction
of electronic equipment built into incoming missiles to
neutralize the missiles by generating and irradiating high-
powered directed microwaves.
To improve ISR capabilities, the MOD conducts
research aiming to load dual wavelength infrared sensors
with superior detecting and discriminating capabilities
onto “advanced optical satellites,” which are currently
being planned by the Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and to operate
them in the space environment. The MOD also promotes
research on high mobility powered suits and the
environmental awareness enhancement technology for
remote control vehicles that can be used flexibly at times
of various contingencies including large-scale disasters.
Furthermore, in the area of advanced research,
which has the potential to ensure technological
superiority, the MOD conducts research regarding the
element technology of the next generation of night vision
devices, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) missiles, which
induce the malfunction and destruction of sensor and
electronic equipment, and also research regarding the
electromagnetic acceleration system that utilizes electric
energy to accelerate the speed, extend the range and
realize the higher power of bullets, which are not feasible
using conventional gunpowder.
4 Active Utilization of Civilian Technology
The Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA)
and domestic research institutions, such as universities
and independent administrative institutions, proactively
engage in research collaborations and technological
information exchanges in order to ensure that advanced
civilian technology is incorporated and efficient research
and development is conducted. In FY2015 the MOD
launched a competitive research funding program called
“Innovative Science & Technology Initiative for Security”
to discover creative research activities conducted in
universities, research institutes, companies, etc., which
are expected to apply defense equipment in the future and
to promote promising research seeds.
While total of 19 research projects were awarded
by FY2016, this program was expanded in FY2017 in
order to enable the awards of larger-scale and longer-term
research projects (total budget of 11 billion yen).
In the basic research areas, free thinking of
researchers leads to innovative and creative results. For
this reason, it is necessary to assign maximum value to
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413 DEFENSE OF JAPAN 2017
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freedom of research when sponsoring research, so that,
for example, researchers will be able to publish all of
their research results to have a wide range of academic
discussions. Hence, in this program the MOD will neither
restrict contractors’ publication of research results, nor
designate research results as confi dential, never providing
any confi dential data to researchers. In actuality, some
research results have already been published through oral
Applying for the “Innovative Science & Technology Initiative for Security” Program
Voice
Takao Sawa, Senior Technical Scientist, Affi liation: Marine Technology and Engineering Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
JAMSTEC, an organization operated under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, contributes to the fundamental research and development on marine, and the cooperative activities on the academic research related to the ocean for the benefi t of the peace and human welfare.
Dual-use technology is taken into account in this program, whose application guideline clearly states that “the program also expects research results to be widely utilized in the civilian sector,” and “the research contractor can keep intellectual property under prescribed conditions.” This means that the benefi ts and rights of JAMSTEC are guaranteed in the program, compared to other competitive research funding programs. It is essential for researchers to build up a cooperative relationship with other agencies, not to mention the importance of obtaining research funding. This is why I decided to apply for the program.
My research entitled “Research of underwater optical wireless robust communications with photomultiplier tubes” concerns technology aiming to achieve high-speed underwater optical wireless communications. For example, a large amount of data communications will be needed when watching videos on a smartphone. The research aims to achieve such high speed data communications even underwater where radio waves hardly propagate. In sea trials, underwater robots for observation and measuring devices will be utilized to support the trial. Since underwater is often cloudy, making it diffi cult for light to pass through, underwater optical communications is realized by selecting suitable optimum color and by using highly sensitive photomultiplier tubes.
Test device used in this research and the author (research representative)
Fig. III-4-1-1 FY2016 Awarded Research Projects for the “Innovative Science & Technology Initiative for Security”
Research Title Brief Summary Representative Institution for the Project
Zero-phonon-line pumped new high-power Yb:YAG ceramic lasers
This project aims to establish practical and stable Yb: YAG ceramic laser by introducing low heat loss excitation method, and by controlling temperature distribution in the laser medium using a high performance cooling system.
Institute for Laser Technology
Porous assembly nanocrystals catalytically active for hydrolysis
This project aims to realize materials that absorb and decompose various organic compounds by producing nanocrystals of coordination polymer and constructing aggregates of the nanocrystals.
Osaka City University
Environmentally-benign lightweight thermoelectric battery with fail safe concept
This project aims to implement high durability and fail-safe function in engine waste heat-driven power generation system using light weight and environmentally conscious Mg2Si thermoelectric materials.
Tokyo University of Science
Control of radio-frequency wave using atomically-thin oxides and its application to cloaking technology
This project aims to realize microwave control technology over a wide frequency range by utilizing atomically-thin oxides, which is ultra thin layered crystals with functions of high conductivity, high dielectricity, and ferromagnetism.
National Institute for Materials Science
Research of small and wide band undersea antennas for long range and high-capacity transmission in undersea environment
This project aims to develop near-fi eld antenna in practical size, which enables effi cient and practical electromagnetic wave communication in the sea. NEC Corporation
Tactile sensing by ultra multi-degree-of-freedom micro mesh-robot
This project aims to develop a palm-sized mesh-robot, which is built by combining a number of micro robots with multiple degrees of freedom and ultra compact size in mesh form, and realize tactile sensing by using the mesh-robot.
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Bio-inspired high speed bubble coating of underwater mobile
This project aims to reduce the frictional drag of underwater vehicles by forming a coating fi lm on the surface, which keeps an air layer in water.
National Institute for Materials Science
Frictional drag reduction by microbubbles injection to turbulent boundary layers
This project aims to clarify the mechanism of the friction drag reduction effect of ships by coating with microbubbles based on an aquarium experiment and numerical analysis. Hokkaido University
Improvement of crack and corrosion resistance by ultra-high temperature and high pressure cavitation
This project aims to enhance the durability of metal surface used under harsh environments through micro-forging that uses ultrasound superimposed water jet peening.
Tokyo University of Science, Yamaguchi
Additive manufacturing of functionally gradiented material by Laser Metal Deposition
This project aims to establish additive manufacturing technology to laminate different metal powders with restraining generation of intermetallic compounds based on the Laser Metal Deposition method.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Section 1Promotion of Research and Development for Ensuring Technological Superiority
414Defense of Japan
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presentations, publications, etc. From the perspective of
smooth implementation of research projects, program
offi cers, who are in charge of managing research progress,
are assigned in the same manner as competitive research
funding programs being conducted by other government
ministries and agencies. The program offi cers provide
support including checking research progress and
processing budget execution procedures.
Active utilization of advanced civilian technology
through such programs is not only essential for securing
the lives and peaceful livelihood of the Japanese people
into the future, but is also benefi cial for the development of
Japan’s science, technology and innovation in non-defense
areas as well, similar to how investment in innovative
technology by the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) of the United States facilitated advances
in science and technology as a whole including civilian
technology, such as the development of the Internet and
GPS. From this perspective, the MOD intends to promote
relevant measures.
Fig. III-4-1-1 (FY2016 Awarded Research Projects for the “Innovative Science & Technology Initiative for Security” (Competitive Funding))
See
Section 2 The Current Status of Defense Production and Technological Bases, and the Strategy on Defense Production and Technological Bases
Excellent defense production and technological
bases are indispensable in inventing superior defense
equipment in an effective and effi cient manner, while
ensuring technological superiority, based on the
Defense Technology Strategy. For this reason, the MOD
established the Strategy on Defense Production and
Technological Bases in 2014 to maintain and strengthen
the bases.
1 The Current Status of Japan’s Defense Production and Technological Bases
The term “defense production and technological bases”
refers to the human, physical and technological bases
for development, production, operation, sustainment and
maintenance, remodeling, and refurbishment of defense
equipment required for the MOD/SDF’s activities. In
Japan, most of those bases are covered by companies (the
defense industry) that manufacture defense equipment and
associated items. Therefore, a broad range of companies,1
which own specialized and advanced skills and facilities
are involved in the defense production and technological
bases. In addition, volume effi ciency of defense production
is unlikely to be expected due to its market being limited
to the demand from the MOD. The degree of defense
demand dependence (the ratio of defense-related sales that
accounts for the entire company sales) is approximately
3% on average, indicating that the defense business does
not comprise the main business in many companies.2
On the other hand, per unit cost and maintenance/
sustainment costs are increasing due to the advances in
recent defense equipment, while simultaneously imports
of foreign-made equipment, such as U.S.-made aircraft,
are also.
Fig. III-4-2-1 Current Status of the Procurement Unit Price of Defense Equipment
Type-74 Tank: Approximately 0.39 billion yen(contracted in FY1989) (3.2 times increase)Type-10 Tank: Approximately 1.26 billion yen(contracted in FY2016)
Oyashio class: Approximately 52.0 billion yen (1.23 times increase)Soryu class: Approximately 63.6 billion yen(contracted in FY2016)
E-2C: Approximately 9.94 billion yen(contracted in FY1990) (2.61 times increase)E-2D: Approximately 25.97 billion yen(contracted in FY2016)
Status of Procurement: Unit Price Increase in procurement unit price due to high performance
1 For example, it is said that there are approximately 1,100 fi ghter aircraft-related companies, approximately 1,300 tank-related companies, and approximately 8,300 destroyer–related companies.2 According to the survey on defense demand dependence conducted with 46 defense-related companies based on their sales performance in FY2015. Although relatively small in scale, some
companies possess important technologies for supporting the defense industry with over 50% of the defense demand dependence, in which case the scale of defense demand has a signifi cant impact on the management of these companies.
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