(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I have four announcements today. The first announcement is that yesterday, October 1, a remote access and neutralization measures mission was newly assigned to the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) due to the enforcement of the Cyber Response Capability Strengthening Act and Necessary Arrangement of Relevant Acts. Under this mission, the JSDF is now able to proactively access attacking servers and other infrastructure to eliminate threats against not only JSDF command-and-control and information systems but also critical national and private-sector infrastructure, thereby preventing serious cyberattacks before they occur. This mission is extremely important not only for protecting the lives of the people and economic activities before there is a contingency but also for ensuring the JSDF can effectively execute its mission during contingencies. For this reason, I once again inspected the JSDF Cyber Defense Command, which is responsible for the core of this mission, encouraged the troops in the operations room newly established for this mission, and issued an order to the Commander of the JSDF Joint Operations Command, who is commanding the operation, to take every measure to ensure that this mission is executed successfully. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the JSDF have been steadily working on the strengthening of their cyber defense capabilities, including the establishment of the JSDF Cyber Defense Command. Specifically, based on the current Defense Buildup Program (DBP), we will secure approximately 1,200 personnel for the JSDF Cyber Defense Command by the end of FY2026, and in addition in Yokosuka, my home town and a key hub for human resources development in the area of cyber defense, we are strengthening specialized education and enriching and enhancing the curriculum at institutions such as the GSDF High Technical School and the System and Signal/Cyber School. In this way, we will fully leverage the capabilities the JSDF has cultivated and devote our utmost efforts to executing this mission, while working in close coordination with police agencies and the National Cybersecurity Office of the Cabinet Secretariat, in order to resolutely protect the lives and property of the people, Japan’s territorial land, waters, and airspace, as well as our cyberspace, under any and all circumstances.
My second announcement is about the conducting of the bilateral exercise that constitutes the first application of the Japan-Philippines Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (Japan-Philippines ACSA). We will conduct the Japan-Philippines Bilateral Exercise on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) “Doshin-Bayanihan” in the Philippines from October 4 to October 9. This exercise was conducted for the first time in 2021 and aims to enhance the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF)’s capabilities in the area of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and to strengthen cooperation between the ASDF and the Philippine Air Force. An ASDF K/C-130H transport aircraft and a Philippine Air Force C-130H transport aircraft will participate in the exercise, and we plan to conduct airdrops of supplies and other items, takeoff and landing exercises, aeromedical evacuation training, and other exercises. Furthermore, this is the sixth Doshin-Bayanihan exercise, but it applies for the first time the Japan-Philippines ACSA, which came into effect in August this year, and we are planning to receive the provision of aircraft fuel and other supplies from the Philippine Air Force. Due to the application of the Japan-Philippines ACSA, the smooth and rapid acquisition and cross-serving of goods, including fuel, and services between the JSDF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines has become possible, and the cooperation between the units of the two countries can become closer. The Philippines is a strategically important country situated in key points on Japan’s sea lanes, and, as a fellow maritime nation, is an essential partner for strengthening defense cooperation. This first application of the Japan-Philippines ACSA is an important step symbolizing that defense cooperation between our two countries has entered a new stage. Going forward, the MOD and the JSDF will continue to further deepen Japan-Philippines defense cooperation and actively contribute to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, by steadily utilizing the Japan-Philippines ACSA and engaging in ongoing practical cooperation, including bilateral exercises.
My third announcement is about the MOD version of the Small/Startup Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program that I talked about last week. Today, we will commence a public call for proposals for seven research and development topics based on the needs of the MOD and the JSDF. The topics for which we are making the public call for proposals on this occasion are the four topics that I introduced the other day—ground-launched and surface vessel-launched domestically-produced compact UAVs, supply warehouse operation optimization, and aircraft noise reduction equipment—and three new topics: interceptor UAV systems that maximally use domestically-produced components and are capable of autonomously countering suicide UAVs, and compact information gathering systems that can operate for a long time in dangerous environments, both for the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), and AI that uses multiple UAVs to streamline maritime surveillance activities for the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF). So we are making a public call for proposals for a total of seven research and development topics. We look forward to receiving active and ambitious proposals and applications from startups for these topics. Note that we have provided notice of the holding of an advance briefing meeting next week on October 6 through the X account and website of the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), and we have already received applications for participation from over 260 startups, which I interpret as meaning that startups are showing a very high level of interest in this program. The MOD will continue working on a variety of measures for the building of a defense innovation ecosystem.
In today’s fourth and final announcement, I will introduce emergency patient transport and unexploded ordnance disposal as part of the activities of the MOD and the JSDF in Okinawa Prefecture. The MOD and the JSDF carry out emergency patient transports in response to requests from prefectural governors in remote island regions when the transports cannot be handled by private sector helicopters or other means. In particular in Okinawa Prefecture, where there are many remote island regions, the 15th Brigade of the GSDF responds to requests from the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture and other officials to carry out emergency patient transports using JSDF helicopters and other means. From 1972 when the statistics were first collected to the end of September this year, the GSDF transported 11,302 emergency patients in 10,925 incidents, saving the lives of many people in Okinawa Prefecture. When sudden illnesses and injuries occur, there is no time to lose. For the people living in the remote islands, the emergency patient transport is a valuable support that protects lives in a crisis, and we are aware that the JSDF is playing an important role that enables them to live with peace of mind. Furthermore, the MOD and the JSDF dispose of unexploded ordnance discovered in regions nationwide. In particular in Okinawa Prefecture, a large amount of unexploded ordnance from World War II remains even now, so the 101st Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit located in GSDF Camp Naha is a specialist unit whose main mission is the disposal of unexploded ordnance discovered in Okinawa Prefecture. From 1972 when the statistics were first collected to the end of September this year, it disposed of 1,906 tons of unexploded ordnance in 40,916 locations, protecting the lives of the people of Okinawa Prefecture. The MOD and the JSDF will continue to be fully committed to these activities in order to protect the lives and livelihoods of the public, including the people of Okinawa Prefecture, and to ensure their safety and security. This concludes my four announcements at the outset today.