International Business: Japan Pushing Its Tech Companies to Partner with U.S. Defense Industry.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew

CHIBA, Japan -- It's a new dawn of defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific as nations such as Japan and the United States grow closer militarily as a hedge against China's ambitions in the region.

The two nations, of course, have been close since the end of World War II, when the United States established Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps bases on the archipelago.

But Japan late last year issued new documents spelling out that it intends to be more proactive when it comes to defending itself, and its Self-Defense Forces budget is expected to grow tenfold over the next decade.

The government has signaled its intent to develop a host of new military technologies and will be seeking help from domestic and foreign contractors to assist it.

While the two nations' militaries have enjoyed a long, enduring alliance, their respective defense industries have not.

"This is the right moment for international defense companies to look for Japanese partners," Zachary Harkenrider, counselor for political-military affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, said recently at the DSFT Japan trade show in Chiba, Japan.

Shigenori Mishima, vice commissioner and chief technology officer at the Japanese Ministry of Defense's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, at the conference listed several areas where Japan is seeking cooperation with the United States "and like-minded allies."

One of the nation's top priorities is developing defensive systems to deter aggression--namely integrated air and missile defense technologies, including countering hypersonic vehicles as well as a railgun, he said.

If deterrence fails, Japan is seeking upgrades to its offensive systems, including an upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missile, a medium-range surface-to-air missile, hypersonic weapons and other anti-ship missiles for island defense, he said.

It is also seeking directed energy weapons to counter drones and drone swarms such as high-energy lasers and high-powered microwave radiation technology, he said.

For unmanned systems, it is looking for command-and-control technologies for both underwater and ground robots, he said.

The nation's highest profile cooperative defense program since the new strategies were announced is the Global Combat Air Program, a joint effort with the United Kingdom and Italy to develop a sixth-generation jet fighter.

Harkenrider said Japan's new National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and the defense budget buildup will result in...