【Images Source: Prime Minister’s Office】https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/101_kishida/actions/202404/11usa.html


Three countries of Japan, the U.S., and the Philippines will establish a defense network against cyber-attacks. They agreed on this at the first Japan-U.S.-Philippines summit held in Washington on April 11th. This is for defending government agencies and critical infrastructure facilities considering increasing attacks from China and Russia. They will share information about attacks and how to respond to them to reduce risk.
 
Japan and the U.S. have a framework for dialogue among senior officials of relevant ministries and agencies on cyber security. The U.S. and the Philippines are also discussing response. The plan is to expand each consultative body to three countries.
 
China, Russia, and North Korea are considered to be the main sources of attacks. Japan and the U.S. are rushing to build a system to support the response since China's attack on the Philippines has become an issue in particular.
The Self-Defense Forces established the “Cyber Defense Command” in March 2022. Japan plans to introduce "active cyber defenses," which detect signs of attacks and respond in advance. If it is prepared, it may be able to cooperate with the U.S. and the Philippines in preventing attacks.
 
The U.S. has a strong cyber defense capability and is expected to share technology and know-how. The Philippines already has a specialized cyber unit.
 
At the Japan-the U.S.- the Philippines summit meeting, the leaders discussed a cyber defense network and confirmed the implementation of joint patrols in the South China Sea with China's growing maritime presence in mind. They also agreed to deepen cooperation in the area of economic security, such as establishing supply networks for critical minerals such as nickel which is an essential material for batteries and semiconductors.


Background Information:
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA037380T00C24A4000000/
 
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/editorial/20240413-OYT1T50201/
 
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS4D2S8MS4DUHBI00BM.html
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGKKZO79968330R10C24A4EA2000/
 
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240412/k10014419511000.html

 

https://www.photo-ac.com/main/detail/28483556&title=%E6%B2%96%E7%B8%84%E7%9C%8C%E3%81%AE%E9%82%A3%E8%A6%87%E7%A9%BA%E6%B8%AF%E5%9B%BD%E5%86%85%E7%B7%9A%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9F%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB%E3%81%AE%E7%9C%8B%E6%9D%BF


The Japanese government designated a total of sixteen airports and ports in seven prefectures as “airports and ports for special use” on April 1st. These infrastructure facilities will be renovated to strengthen defense capabilities. The government will renovate and make it easier for the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard to conduct training and transport goods under the condition that they use them in an emergency. Emphasis was placed on the southwest region, which is a critical area for security in East Asia.
 
The facilities renovation is estimated to take a few years and the government plans to spend 37 billion yen (about $242 million) from public works expenses in the fiscal 2024 budget. Based on the “National Security Strategy” compiled at the end of 2022, this is an example of strengthening defense by eliminating vertical administrative structure among ministries and agencies.
 
The sixteen airports and ports are in seven prefectures such as Hokkaido, Kagawa, Kochi, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, and Okinawa. Because to defend the Nansei Islands and evacuate Japanese nationals anticipated in the case of an emergency in Taiwan, the seven facilities in Kyusyu and Okinawa were designated. Five ports in Hokkaido were chosen because there are many troops of the Self-Defense Forces, and about 70% of the ammunition is placed.
 
All airports and ports are usually used for civilian use. Currently, it is not easy to use for defense purposes, so the facilities will be renovated one by one.
 
As for the airport’s specific renovation works, the runway will be extended, and the tarmac will be improved so that fighter jets and transport planes can take off and land. As for ports, additional quays are planned to be built and the seabed is planned to be drilled down to allow large transport ships to dock.
 
China's military buildup and maritime expansion have prompted the government to shift its defense capabilities to the southwest. In 2022, a Chinese ballistic missile flew near Yonaguni island and fell for the first time into Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The security environment in the southwest region is becoming more severe every year.
 
The significance of improving airports and ports for special use is “to increase deterrence and response capabilities so that it reduces the possibility of attacks on Japan and leads to the safety of the Japanese people" Yoshimasa Hayashi, Chief Cabinet Secretary emphasized at a press conference on April 1st.
 
※100JPY＝0.65USD


Background Information:
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA288GR0Y4A320C2000000/
 
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20240328-OYT1T50002/
 
https://sp.m.jiji.com/article/show/3202723
 
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240401/k10014409331000.html
 

https://www.photo-ac.com/main/detail/26592133&title=%E8%AD%A6%E5%AF%9F%E5%BA%81%E3%83%BB%E5%9B%BD%E5%AE%B6%E5%85%AC%E5%AE%89%E5%A7%94%E5%93%A1%E4%BC%9A%E5%BA%81%E8%88%8E


Four ministries and agencies such as National Police Agency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry called attention to the possibility that North Korean IT workers impersonated Japanese nationals and received business orders from Japanese companies and remitted rewards to North Korea on March 26th. The United Nations has pointed out that North Korean IT workers, by assuming false identities and nationalities while working abroad, earned foreign currencies that are used to develop nuclear and missile development in North Korea.
 
According to the reports of the United Nations’s Panel of Experts, it is estimated that there are 1,000 North Korean IT workers in North Korea and 3,000 in foreign countries. Most of them who are in foreign countries seem to live in China and some of them live in Russia or Southeast Asia. It is said that 250 million dollars to 600 million dollars (about 37.5 billion yen to 90 billion yen) is transferred to North Korea a year.
 
Japanese police uncovered three cases in 2020, 2022, and this March. They arrested and sent papers to prosecutors five men and women including South Korean nationality who appeared to have some relation with North Korean IT workers. There was a suspicion that they made unauthorized remittances to North Korean IT workers who live in China. However, charges of two people were dropped due to insufficient grounds for charging and one person’s indictment was suspended. There have been no cases prosecutors built against North Korean IT workers themselves so far. It is said that they live overseas so it is difficult to crack down on them.
 
Tactics revealed by Japanese police investigation are as follows. They register relatives or acquaintances who live in Japan on intermediary sites which connect freelance IT workers and businesses and call for business such as developing applications. The job orders they received seemed to be conducted by North Korean IT workers abroad. It is also indicated that North Korea might conduct cyber-attacks using software as a starting point which ordering companies received.
 
Therefore, the National Police Agency asked for these site operators’ attention to see that there is a possibility that the contractors might be North Korean engineers if the account name and bank account name which receive rewards are different. The National Police Agency called for attention of companies who take orders when they prefer to exchange documents or chat using unnatural Japanese.
 
United Nations Security Council’s Committee Expert Panel regarding sanctions against North Korea reported on North Korean IT workers in 2019 for the first time. They announced a guideline which the U.S. and South Korea put together as a response plan and called attention to in 2022.
 
※100JPY＝0.67USD


Background Information:
 
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240325/k00/00m/040/321000c
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUE254HV0V20C24A3000000/
 
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS3V05JJS3VUTIL001M.html
 
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240326/k10014402571000.html
 
https://sp.m.jiji.com/article/show/3197633?
 

 
 

The Japanese and U.S. governments are coordinating to jointly develop a successor to the T4, a training aircraft for Air Self-Defense Force fighter pilots. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is visiting the U.S. as a state guest and aims to reach an agreement at the summit meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden scheduled for April 10 in Washington, D.C., and to specify the agreement in the outcome document. Several Japan-U.S. sources revealed this on March 23rd.
 
This is the first time that Japan and the U.S. have jointly developed a training aircraft. In addition to reducing production costs, the two countries aim to strengthen cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military by using a common aircraft from the training phase.
 
The "T4" is a purely domestically produced subsonic jet aircraft with excellent maintainability. It has been deployed since 1988 with a maximum speed of approximately 1,040 km/h (Mach 0.9). It is mainly used to train pilots for the Air Self-Defense Force, but since 1995 it has also been adopted by the Blue Impulse, a squadron popular for its acrobatic flights. It has also been used for a wide range of purposes, including investigating the dispersion of radioactive materials in the atmosphere when North Korea conducted a nuclear test.
 
However, more than 35 years have passed since its deployment, and the aircraft is aging. It has been pointed out that the aircraft cannot adequately respond to training for the latest stealth fighter F35 and the next-generation fighter aircraft to be jointly developed with the U.K. and Italy for deployment in 2035.
 
The joint development is expected to improve "interoperability," in which the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military work together to carry out operations. The progress of artificial intelligence (AI) and communication technology has made air combat more complex, and the skills required of pilots are becoming more sophisticated. The Air Self-Defense Force currently operates the F35, F15, and other aircraft procured from the U.S., and it intends to address this issue by promoting standardization from the pilot training stage.
 
There is also a significant aim to increase mass production efficiency and lower production costs. As fighter aircraft become more sophisticated, raising the specifications of training aircraft is likely to lead to higher development and production costs. Operation by both Japan and the U.S. will increase the production volume, which will lead to the stabilization of prices and supply.
 
Japan and the U.S. have been strengthening cooperation in the field of aviation equipment, including an agreement last December to conduct joint research on AI technology to develop unmanned aircraft to support the next generation of fighter aircrafts.


Background Information:
 
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240323/k00/00m/010/164000c
 
https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/equipment/renshuuki/T-4/index.html
 
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/aefc9eb607676302a19e03f14683d6682840556a
 

 
 

Eiichi Yonekura, the president of “SKY Perfect JSAT” which engages in the space business revealed that they were holding discussions for expanding collaboration with the U.S. military. They will collaborate in space situational awareness (SSA) through satellite. The company intends to develop the security sector into a pillar of revenue.
 
Mr. Yonekura revealed it in an interview with a Japanese newspaper when he visited the U.S. capital of Washington. He had a meeting with executives in charge of space policy in the White House on March 19^th and exchanged opinions regarding SSA.
 
The company owns seventeen geostationary satellites, which is the world’s largest number of geostationary satellites covering the Indo-Pacific region. Mr. Yonekura said, “If the U.S. military piggyback this and install a monitoring system, the U.S. will not need to launch satellites.” They have a plan to make the company’s satellites available to the U.S. military. He also emphasized that they would like to prepare a service line-up available for the U.S. military and the U.S. government to use in Asia. They will also hold a discussion regarding the technology which moves space debris by laser beams from satellites.
 
The Japanese and the U.S. governments agreed for their private and public sectors to strengthen cooperation in the space field. SKY Perfect JSAT’s initiatives may become precedents. Mr. Yonekura said that he thought about the cooperation with the U.S. government as a five-year plan instead of a one-year plan.
 
SKY Perfect JSAT forecasts that sales amount in security-related areas in the fiscal year ending March 2024 will be about 7.5 billion yen (about 50 million dollars). Mr. Yonekura said that he would like sales figures in 2030 to be double to triple.
 
Mr. Yonekura clarified the policy to market this business to countries in the Indo-Pacific region such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia in addition to the U.S. government. They will have discussions not only from the viewpoint of private use but also from the viewpoint of security.
 
Outer space has become the frontline of security in the world including jamming satellite communication and cyber-attacks. The U.S. cooperates with allied nations such as Japan to build a defense network with which they will confront China and Russia.


Background Information:
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGKKZO79428270R20C24A3TB2000/
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOGN204KD0Q4A320C2000000/
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC183U70Y4A210C2000000/
 

 
 

 

---

元記事はこちら
 

 

---

【Images Source:  the Ministry of Defense】https://www.mod.go.jp/j/policy/defense/nextfighter/index.html

 

The government has been examining a proposed amendment of operational guidelines of the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology to export next-generation fighters which Japan is co-developing with the United Kingdom and Italy to third countries. Now, the amendment outline has been revealed. The pillar of this amendment is that export items are limited to next-generation fighters and the destination countries for this export are only countries who signed transfer agreements in line with the Charter of the United Nations.
 
With respect to the export of next-generation fighters to third countries, Komeito approved the policy to lift the ban on its exports at its party meeting on March 14^th. Handling of this was left to Yosuke Takagi, Policy Research Council Chairman of Komeito. The Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito’s Policy Research Council Chairmans had a meeting on March 15^th and came to an agreement. The government planned to hold nine ministers’ meeting of National Security Council (NSC) based on the agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito and would amend the operational guideline of Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology at the end of March.

With respect to the export of next-generation fighters to third countries, Komeito approved the policy to lift the ban on its exports at its party meeting on March 14^th. Handling of this was left to Yosuke Takagi, Policy Research Council Chairman of Komeito. The Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito’s Policy Research Council Chairmans had a meeting on March 15^th and came to an agreement. The government planned to hold nine ministers’ meeting of National Security Council (NSC) based on the agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito and would amend the operational guideline of Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology at the end of March.
 
Regarding the amendment of guidelines, the items which become possible to be exported to third countries are next-generation fighters only. The amendment will state policy that further items will be added after prior discussions with ruling parties if there is an international joint development project which needs export in the future.
 
Export destination countries of next-generation fighters are limited to countries which signed agreements in line with the Charter of the United Nations which states the peaceful resolution for disputes. Currently, Japan has signed this agreement with fifteen countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asian Countries. As a measure to prevent fostering conflicts, “countries where fights are occurring” will be excluded.
 
The countries which Japan signed the transfer agreement of equipment in line with the Charter of the United Nations are currently a total of fifteen countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Australia, India, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
 
When Japan exports next-generation fighters to these countries in the future, the government has a policy that individual projects need to be approved again by cabinet decisions and prior opportunity to discuss with the ruling parties are secured.
 
Initially, the government demanded that the conclusion of the ruling parties’ discussions be made by the end of February. However, the Komeito, which worries about significant exports expansion, had maintained a cautious stance. So, the discussion by the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito’s person in practice had stalled. Then, both the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito upgraded this discussion framework to the talks between both parties’ Policy Research Council Chairmans. Then they discussed centered on the way to curb which the Komeito emphasized.
 
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s attitude made a push to the Komeito too. The Prime Minister explained the necessity of exports at the Budget Committee of the upper house of the Diet on March 13^th. Komeito judged that strict procedures are secured, and public understanding is deepened and turned to approve this.


Background Information:
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA1455R0U4A310C2000000/
 
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20240314-OYT1T50287/
 
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240316/k10014392521000.html
 
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20240315-OYT1T50079/
 
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASS3H3TP7S3GUTFK02K.html
 
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240315/k10014391661000.html
 

【Image Source: TEC-FORCE of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism】https://www.tecforce.jp/202401/index.html


The use of drones at the disaster site affected by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake this January is expanding. Drones have been used for research of disaster sites so far but this time drones have a role of delivering medicines and daily necessities to cut-off communities. If the performance of drones improves further, they have a potential to significantly change the way support is provided to disaster sites such as mass transportation of goods. A cooperation system between the government which oversees disaster response and private companies which engage in drone business is essential. 　
 
According to a drone industry association, “Japan UAS Industry Development Association (JUIDA),” this is the first attempt in Japan to utilize drones during a disaster for delivering goods to disaster sites. JUIDA has received a total of seven requests from the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and the Self-Defense Forces since January 8^th and delivered about one hundred people’s medicines prescribed by a hospital to cut-off communities in Wajima city, Ishikawa prefecture. Right after the earthquake, members of the Self-Defense Forces took one hour one way to deliver them. But using drones, the time taken was shortened to ten minutes one way.
 
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, drones delivered food and daily supplies such as soap to elderly care facilities in the area where roads are cut off by fallen trees in Noto town, Ishikawa prefecture. The town requested the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport saying that it is dangerous for staff to deliver them.
 
Drones were utilized for recovery work of severed roads in various places too. Technical Emergency Control Force (TEC-FORCE)’s staff of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism flew drones to a height of a hundred and several tens of meters and took pictures of the terrain. Drones investigated the site conditions where surveying is difficult by car or on foot, which implemented emergency measures accordingly.
 
The Self-Defense Forces also used drones to assess the damage caused by a large-scale fire and others in Wajima city. Using drones has advantages such as being able to correct information in a brief time and safely investigate a dangerous place with rubble and potential mudslides.
 
Although using drones during disasters had been permitted as an exception, flying drones in inhabited areas where there are housings and roads had been restricted. This regulation was reviewed in stages. Then based on the implementation of the amended Civil Aeronautics Act in December 2022, it became possible to fly aircraft if requirements are met.
 
The forecast of Impress Corporation (Chiyoda, Tokyo) shows that the market size of the drone business in Japan in FY 2028 will be 934 billion yen (about 6.3 billion dollars) which is a big expansion from 230.8 billion yen (about 1.5 billion dollars) in FY 2021. Technical improvement of corporations who aim for practical application in delivery and surveying are contributing to emergency response.
 
※100JPY＝0.67USD


Background Information:
 
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGKKZO78026300X20C24A1CM0000/
 
https://mainichi.jp/articles/20240209/k00/00m/040/047000c
 
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20240109/k10014314231000.html
 
https://medical.nikkeibp.co.jp/leaf/all/hotnews/int/202401/582771.html