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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 –

Part Ⅲ Initiatives to Protect the Lives and Property of the People as well as Securing the Territorial Land, Water and Airspace

411 DEFENSE OF JAPAN 2017

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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

412Defense of Japan

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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



Chap

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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

Chap

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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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