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Technology Transfer and the F-2 Fighter : How the Japanese Defense Industry Defied the Odds

Jenny Lu
Articles
Abstract: Japan’s defense industry, despite being relatively smaller than other developed nations, has prospered technologically. The technology transfers pivotal in bringing Japan to this point would not have been so successful without the catalysts of the United States (US ) alliance, clusters and civil-military company structures to create dual-use technologies. In producing the F-2, Japanese industries did more than lightly modify the F-16 or duplicate processes acquired from older licensed production runs—they produced groundbreaking innovations and developed new ways of doing things. Today, as the US moves away from the expensive model of bilateral partnership to the more profitable international arms collaboration, Japan too should revise its internal policies—in particular, the legislature on arms exports and offensive weapons—to prevent being technologically isolated and shut out of a lucrative market. Keywords: Civil-Military Relations; Defense Industry; Defense Technology; Technology Transfer
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