ABSTRACT
The development of space and missile technology has received the Government's prime attention since fiscal year 1955 when budget appropiations for rocket development were made for the first time. The Ministry of Education is linked to space technology through the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science of the University of Tokyo. Private companies also have been active in the field of space and missile technology since the 1950s. The research and development of rockets started at the state-run University of Tokyo's Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science in December 1953. In 1961 the Federation of Economic Organizations established the Special Commission for the Peaceful Utilization of Space. Japan's defense planners recognised very early that missiles were a major improvement in firing accuracy, that they required less personnel to operate and that they were more versatile. In the 1970s Japan developed a short-range surface-to-air missile, called Tansam, which was produced by Toshiba and introduced into the Self-Defense Forces in 1981.
