The Abe administration is stepping up efforts to lure researchers for projects whose results can be used for both military and civilian purposes by boosting the amount of government funding for which they can apply. The offer should be attractive to many researchers, particularly those at national universities who have seen a long-term decline in government grants.
University researchers, however, should think twice before applying for such funds, given their responsibility to protect academic freedom and their institutions' autonomy, and to publicly explain the outcome of their research.
Eager to beef up the technological base of the nation's defense system and defense industry, the administration in 2014 reversed long-standing policy and permitted Japan in principle to export weapons. In fiscal 2015, the Defense Ministry started a program to provide funds to research institutions, both academic and nonacademic, for development of dual-use technologies. The move was based on the National Security Strategy adopted in 2013 that stressed the need to combine efforts of the business sector, the government and academic institutions to strengthen Japan's defense technology.