Members of the government's Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, chaired by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have agreed to launch full-scale discussions on the promotion of research for joint military-civilian use.
This is the first time that the council, which is considered "the command center" for the nation's science and technology policy and decides budget allocations for related projects, is making national security a top priority issue, and the move will possibly accelerate military research at universities and public institutions.
The Fifth Science and Technology Basic Plan, which was approved by the Cabinet last year for fiscal 2016 to fiscal 2020, included a section on national security for the first time in the history of the basic plan. The plan explicitly noted that it would promote research and development of technology required to respond to the various national security issues Japan faces.
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