Israel’s defense industry targets Japan

An Israeli delegation of 20 companies is taking part this week in the biennial DSEI international defense exhibition in Japan. Seven of the companies are participating through the SIBAT, International Defense Cooperation directorate at Israel’s Ministry of Defense and eight of the companies are startups led by the Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense R&D (DDR&D) (MAFAT).

This year’s exhibition is double the size of the 2023 event and SIBAT head Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Kulas tells “Globes” that the exhibition shows how much Tokyo has become a strategic destination for Israel’s Ministry of Defense.

“We came here for the first time in 2023. It is aimed at Asia-Pacific and it is obvious how much it has grown,” says Kulas. “About five years ago, we defined Japan as a breakthrough country in the Ministry of Defense, and since then the investment has been continuous. That investment has proven itself, because the export data indicate an increase from annual exports to Japan of tens of millions of dollars, to hundreds of millions. Part of this is due to our industries understanding the necessary change, and this has led to success.”

Among the companies appearing in the SIBAT pavilion are Orbit Technologies (TASE: ORBI), which provides advanced air and sea communications systems and satellite tracking; Xtend, which develops and manufacturers AI-based drone systems; Steadicopter, which provides unmanned aerial systems with real-time intelligence and precision attack capabilities; and MagnaBSD, which has developed AI-based video analysis for military surveillance and critical infrastructure protection.

The DDR&D pavilion features, Resight, which has developed augmented reality solutions that enable continuous multi-participant experiences; Next-Dim, which has developed a network analysis platform for the financial sector, money laundering prevention, fraud detection and identification; and Sealartec, which has developed autonomous launch systems for fully automated collection of marine vehicles in sea conditions.

SIBAT’s head stresses that Israel’s systems have proven themselves on the battlefield, and being Combat Proven, is one of the major advantages of the Israeli defense industry. “Many countries are looking for this. Our industry is amazing, creative and proactive, while the Japanese love technology, and playing with technology. They are interested in everything from Israel. We came with the DDR&D startups, and they are thrilled by Israeli technology.”

How is Israel’s defense relationship with Japan?

“The relationship has lastedmany years. The directors general of the Ministry of Defense have come, as has Benny Gantz. The departments of the ministry are coming to Japan, and everyone is involved from the moment we made a decision on breaking into the country.”

Despite the political tensions, “all exhibitions are on the agenda”

Because of the political tensions between Israel and European countries, the list of exhibitions in which SIBAT participates includes several destinations that are challenging to some extent. The first of these is the most prestigious exhibition of all, the Paris Air Show next month, which, as reported by “Globes,” will have a limited presence of Israeli companies due to the obstacles raised by French President Emmanuel Macron on Israeli companies appearing at defense exhibitions in his country. After that, an appearance is planned at the DSEI exhibition (in London) in September, the Seoul ADEX in October, and the Dubai Air Show in November. “All exhibitions are on the agenda, and there are no signs of cancellations,” emphasizes Kulas.

A major challenge that SIBAT is facing across the board is the desire of around the world to manufacture in their own countries. One such country is Japan, and Kulas defines this as a “serious trend.” He says, “This is a change that is becoming more pronounced, and we understand that we must adapt ourselves. If in the past we said in G2G (government-to-government) contacts that a deal must be 100% production in Israel, we understood that there would be no deals if we did not agree to about 20%-30% local production.”

What characterizes your work in Japan?

“We use every exhibition for meetings, but now I am focused on the Japanese, on the large corporations, on the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Homeland Security. Before we arrived, we had a day last week to work with the companies on business, commercial and personal culture, what to do and not to do, respecting the culture. We ourselves are very careful and work with local trading companies. It is important to meet with end users and corporations, but these are companies that do business with them. The Japanese will not make a deal without a local company.”

In October, as mentioned, the Ministry of Defense will also attend a significant air show in Seoul. On this, Kulas says, “Seoul is an industrial hub like Japan, and we must be there. Our industry connects with South Korea, they produce a platform and we produce radar. The by-products on the Korean platforms are beneficial to both sides, because they appeal to other markets. This is a need for our industries.”

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on May 21, 2025.

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