| Author Name | KOTANI Atsuki (University of Tokyo) / NAKAJIMA Kentaro (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / OKAZAKI Tetsuji (Faculty Fellow, RIETI) / SAITO Yukiko (Senior Fellow (Specially Appointed), RIETI) |
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| Creation Date/NO. | September 2025 25-E-093 |
| Research Project | Innovation, Globalization and Employment |
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Abstract
Innovations in military technology potentially drive significant societal transformations through applications to civilian use. This study aims to quantitatively measure the impact of military technology development on civilian innovation activities using prewar and wartime Japanese patent data from 1916 to 1945. By exploiting Japan's secret patent system, which classified particularly critical military-related technologies not disclosed to the public, we identify important technological developments. The result shows that the filing of secret patents led to a significant increase in the number of patents within the corresponding technological classifications. Furthermore, this effect is not limited to organizations that registered secret patents; a significant impact is also observed among organizations that did not register secret patents. This suggests that the development of militarily important technologies generates a substantial spillover effect on other organizations.
