JSDF's type 90 tanks in exercise

By Zi Ge

The Japanese Defense Ministry released the Defense Technology Guideline 2023   on June 28, which specified the country's goals, roadmap, key tasks and policy support for developing defense technology. As the latest part of Japan's national security strategy system in recent years, the Guideline offers the top-level design and charts the course for Japan's military technology innovation and development in the medium and long term.

The purpose of the Guideline is to integrate the specific requirements on defense technology development scattered in other documents such as the National Security Strategy  and the Defense Buildup Program, and align the thought of the Defense Ministry, other government bodies, and the defense industry on the medium- and long-term technology R&D and innovation, so they can make concerted efforts to advance relevant plans.

The Guideline, which consists of six chapters, has three key points.

First, it specifies the target of defense technology development. Japan has adopted a dual-track strategy in developing defense technology. First, in the next five to ten years, it will apply technologies that are directly associated with potential rivals and of vital importance for national security in weapons and equipment and put them into use. Second, in the longer term beyond ten years, it will advance the use of next-generation disruptive technologies, which can be used for military and civilian purposes alike, and unleash their combat capabilities.  

Second, it highlights 12 key areas of technological development. Divided into three categories – "Physical Area", "Information Area" and "Cognitive Area", 12 areas have been highlighted, including automation and autonomy, new combat platform, new energy, new materials, new sensor, advanced computing, and cyberspace defense.

Third, it launches three policies to promote defense technology innovation, namely Creating, Nurturing, and Understanding . For Creating, departments of defense policy and operation will be pulled together to jointly study and outline the forms of future wars and the direction of tech development. At the same time, the current defense technology innovation mechanism will be reformed to fully tap the potential and vitality of defense technology R&D and innovation. It is specifically mentioned that Japan, in imitation of the US DoD's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency , will set up its own agency to be in overall charge of military technology innovation, focused on the R&D of creative equipment.

With the revision and upgrading of the three security documents, Japan has actually broken the rule that its defense spending shall not exceed 1% of GDP, and the incremental funds will mostly be used to develop military technologies, securing a sufficient coffer for the competition in next-generation disruptive military technology. In another related development, the Japanese Defense Ministry’s spending on military technology R&D for the fiscal year of 2023 has almost doubled, and the total R&D expenditure for the next five years is projected to reach US$26 billion, 4.5 times the current amount. Mishima Shigenori, the chief tech officer at the Defense Ministry's equipment department said that Japan is investing more in military R&D with several cutting-edge projects proceeding in parallel.

The latest Guideline is released to provide medium- and long-term guidance for Japan's defense industry on technological innovation and weapon and equipment R&D. It must be noted that the document mentions quite a few aggressive military technologies, which clearly reveals Tokyo's intention of guiding the defense industry to be assault- and combat-oriented in technology development. Such a shift of attitude and its possible consequences are worth close attention.