Shifting Global Technology Landscape: Current position of Japan as indicated by the "Critical Technology Tracker"

While technology competition has been intensifying globally, it is becoming increasingly important to ascertain technological capabilities of individual countries from the viewpoint of security and economic development. The "Critical Technology Tracker" (hereinafter, the "Tracker"), which the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published at the end of August 2024, analyses scientific and technological capabilities of individual countries in 64 critical technologies, such as defence, energy, space, and AI. Following the first edition (March 2023), which was referenced by various national governments and news media, the latest second edition analyses each country's technological capabilities and technology monopoly risk based on a dataset of research papers covering a 21-year span (from 2003 to 2023) and other data.

Changes in Global Technology Landscape and Current Situation

What is notable is the reversal of the positions of the United States and China due to the technological rise of China. In the early 2000s, the United States was the world leader in many technological fields, but that hierarchy has been completely reversed in the last 20 years. During the period from 2003 to 2007, the United States occupied a leading position in 60 technologies out of 64, but during the period from 2019 to 2023, China took the lead in 57 technologies, while the United States held only seven technologies. Such reversal phenomena are most notable in the advanced materials and manufacturing and communication fields in particular, and in the field of biotechnology in recent years. In critical emerging technology fields, such as AI and quantum technologies, China has rapidly strengthened its leadership and is surpassing the United States in many other fields.

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