Industry and government in Japanese defense procurement: The case of the patriot missile system

Abstract

Abstract Numerous players and considerations are involved in the procurement of weapons systems by the Japan Defense Agency. Infusions to the domestic industrial base and the opportunity to develop new lines of business can be as important in the selection of a system as the nature of the threat the system is intended to defend against. Business and government in Japan interact in both formal and informal ways with long‐term objectives in mind, and in a manner that has important implications for U.S. firms attempting to enter into Japanese defense markets. Finally, the pattern of procurement and domestic production decisions suggests that government and business have embarked on a policy of utilizing licensed production and coproduction programs to develop a full range of indigenous systems.