Taiwan, Japan to cooperate on drone supply chain

Taiwan and Japan are set to deepen their collaboration on drone technology, focusing on establishing a secure, non-red supply chain for uncrewed vehicles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Global UAV Academy (GUAVA) signed a letter of intent with the Japan Drone Consortium in Tokyo, signaling a joint effort to bolster bilateral drone diplomacy and industrial cooperation.

Chiang Zhen-wei, chief executive director of Taiwan's drone diplomacy task force, highlighted Taiwan's strengths in manufacturing, information and communications technology, and its potential for a resilient, non-red supply chain. He emphasized Taiwan's role as a "drone diplomacy navigator," fostering business collaborations to create diplomatic opportunities. The initiative aims to cultivate multinational talent and link industry alliances, research, and certification mechanisms to enhance Taiwan's global influence in the uncrewed vehicle sector.

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Taiwan’s drone industry has three major advantages: outstanding manufacturing capabilities, rich information and communications technology expertise and the resilience of a non-red supply chain.

Kenzo Nonami, chairman of the Japan Drone Consortium, stressed the urgency of developing secure uncrewed vehicle systems with high cybersecurity. He noted that both Taiwan and Japan face challenges from the global expansion of authoritarianism, making reliable drone systems a critical national security issue. The collaboration is expected to foster multinational professional talent and connect resources such as industry alliances, R&D technologies, and certification mechanisms.

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Taiwan and Japan are facing challenges from the global expansion of authoritarianism, so establishing secure and reliable uncrewed vehicle systems with high levels of cybersecurity is an urgent core issue of national security.