(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I will visit Singapore from today to June 1 to attend the IISS (Asia Security Summit), also known as the “Shangri-La Dialogue,” which commences today. This will be my fourth time participating in this summit. I also attended the inaugural summit in 2002. In the quarter of a century since then, the world around us has changed at speeds far exceeding expectations. As the security environment surrounding Japan and the Indo-Pacific becomes increasingly severe, the Shangri-La Dialogue is playing an ever-greater role for regional peace and stability. I attach critical importance to attending this meeting and exchanging views on security challenges and defense cooperation with defense ministers and other officials from various countries. During the summit, I am scheduled to deliver a speech in which I intend to emphasize the importance of further strengthening collaboration among defense authorities in light of current security challenges. As for bilateral meetings, opportunities to communicate with defense ministers and other officials from various countries, as time permits, are currently being finalized, including with Secretary of Defense Hegseth of the U.S., Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Marles of Australia, Minister for Defence Chan of Singapore, and Minister for the Armed Forces Lecornu of France. I will use these opportunities to work together more closely with our ally, like-minded countries, and others. In addition, I would like to update you on the application status of the FY2025 Innovative Science & Technology Initiative for Security, as known as the “Ministry of Defense (MOD) Funding Program.” To make active use of advanced civilian technologies, the MOD created in FY2015 the so-called MOD Funding Program, which commissions or provides subsidies to external research institutions and other entities to carry out basic research on advanced civilian technologies. Since then, we have requested proposals from universities, companies, and other entities. For FY2025, a request for proposals was made from March 14 to May 21 of this year. As a result, we received 340 proposals, which is significantly more than last fiscal year’s 203 proposals, setting a new record high since the program’s inception. This year, proposals were submitted by a range of entities, including companies and public research institutes. Notably, we received 123 proposals from universities and inter-university research institutes, which is about three times more than the previous fiscal year. This was the most number of proposals we received from them since the program’s inception. It is essential to actively use advanced civilian technologies in the defense field through cooperation among industry, academia, and government, in order to adapt to recent rapid technological advancements and safeguard the country’s peace into the future. This program also contributes broadly to the development of Japan’s science, technology, and innovation in non-defense areas as well. From this perspective, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the large number of proposals that were submitted by various research institutes and other entities. The proposals will be reviewed by external experts, and the selected projects are to be determined by around this coming August. To ensure that proposals will continue to be submitted by many research institutes, we will continue to make various efforts to gain the understanding of various sectors, including the academic community, and promote the building of an ecosystem through cooperation among industry, academia, and government.