By Kodai Takahashi

Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

The Japanese government intends to promote the development of maritime drones and seabed resources, among other areas, in the maritime field of its 17 strategic fields for priority public-private investment, officials said.

The government has compiled a policy package for the maritime field, which is built around three pillars -- unmanned maritime vehicles (drones); maritime domain awareness $(MDA)$; and innovative seabed development technologies and systems for resource extraction and other purposes -- with the aim of strengthening national security and promoting the overseas expansion of related industries.

Maritime drones are used for underwater exploration and other purposes, and the market for them is expected to expand as a dual-use technology utilized in oil and gas development as well as for national security. The government aims to accelerate investment not only in drones, but in technological development such as underwater charging and underwater communication. The government stipulates in the package that it aims for a "30% share of the global market" in the future.

MDA is an initiative to collect data on ocean currents and topography for use in route planning and maritime security. The government will advance such efforts as enhancing the functionality of the Japan Coast Guard's Situational Indication Linkages, an information service which displays the maritime situation, and plans to export Japan's proprietary MDA services to about eight countries, including Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, by the early 2030s.

As for seabed development, the government plans to conduct demonstration experiments on manganese nodules -- mineral resources containing rare metals -- in fiscal 2029 and begin commercial production in as early as the early 2030s.

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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.

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May 25, 2026 02:56 ET (06:56 GMT)

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