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TREATIES AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ACTS SERIES 20-803 

DEFENSE 

Cooperative Research 

Agreement Between the 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

and JAPAN 

Effected by Exchange of Notes at Tokyo August 3, 2020 

Entered into force August 3, 2020 
NOTE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

Pursuant to Public Law 89—497, approved July 8, 1966 

(80 Stat. 271; 1 U.S.C. 113)—

“. . .the Treaties and Other International Acts Series issued

under the authority of the Secretary of State shall be competent 

evidence . . . of the treaties, international agreements other than

treaties, and proclamations by the President of such treaties and 

international agreements other than treaties, as the case may be, 

therein contained, in all the courts of law and equity and of maritime 

jurisdiction, and in all the tribunals and public offices of the 

United States, and of the several States, without any further proof 

or authentication thereof.”
August 3, 2020 

Excellency, 

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your 

Excellency's Note of today's date, which reads as follows: 

"I have the honor to refer to the Mutual Defense 

Assistance Agreement Between Japan and the United States of 

America, signed at Tokyo on March 8, 1954 (hereinafter 

referred to as "the MDA Agreement"), which provides, inter 

alia, that each Government, consistently with the principle 

that economic stability is essential to international peace 

and security, will make available to the other such 

equipment, materials, services, or other assistance as the 

Government furnishing such assistance may authorize, in 

accordance with such detailed arrangements as may be made 

between them. 

The Government of Japan and the Government of the 

United States of America recognize that Command, Control, 

Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and 

Reconnaissance Capabilities (hereinafter referred to as 

"C4ISR Capabilities") are important elements in the defense 

policy of both Japan and the United States of America. 

The policy of the Government of Japan is that the 

strengthening of C4ISR Capabilities is one of the 

priorities in strengthening capabilities necessary for 

cross-domain operations as well as strengthening the 

Alliance's deterrence and response capabilities. The 

policy of the Government of the United States of America is 

that modernized C4ISR Capabilities are one of the key 

capabilities to address competitors' ambitions and 

enhancement of their capabilities. 

In this regard, the representatives of the Government 

of Japan and the Government of the United States of America 

have recently held discussions for the purpose of making 

such detailed arrangements as mentioned above concerning a 

program for the cooperative research on C4ISR Capabilities 

within the scope of the above-mentioned policy of each of 

the two Governments (hereinafter referred to as "the 

Program"), taking into account the exchange of information 

His Excellency 

Toshimitsu Motegi, 

Minister for Foreign Affairs, 

Tokyo, Japan. 

DIPLOMATIC NOTE 
undertaken in accordance with the Memorandum of 

Understanding Between the Ministry of Defense of Japan and 

the Department of Defense of the United States of America 

concerning projects for cooperative research, signed on 

February 17, 2010 (hereinafter referred to as "the 

Memorandum of Understanding of 2010"), made under the 

Exchange of Notes of the same date between the Government 

of Japan and the Government of the United States of America 

concerning a program for the cooperative research on Image 

Gyro for Airborne Applications and concerning the 

formulation of additional programs for cooperative research 

under the MDA Agreement. The following is the 

understanding of the Government of Japan regarding the 

results of the above-mentioned discussions: 

1. In accordance with the detailed implementing 

arrangements to be made under paragraph 4 of this 

understanding, the Government of Japan and the Government 

of the United States of America shall mutually provide 

information, equipment, and materials that are necessary to 

implement the Program, subject to the laws and regulations 

of each country. The two Governments shall jointly bear 

the costs necessary for the execution of the Program. 

2. The Program shall be undertaken through contracts with 

industries of Japan and industries of the United States of 

America to the extent necessary. 

3. The present understanding shall be implemented in 

accordance with the MDA Agreement and arrangements made 

thereunder, including the Agreement Between the Government 

of Japan and the Government of the United States of America 

to Facilitate Interchange of Patent Rights and Technical 

Information for Purposes of Defense, signed at Tokyo on 

March 22, 1956. 

4. In order to implement the present understanding, 

representatives of the competent authorities of the two 

Governments shall make detailed implementing arrangements 

that shall be applied to the Program. The detailed 

implementing arrangements shall consist of the Memorandum 

of Understanding of 2010, as it may be amended, and project 

arrangements. For such arrangements, the competent 

authority of the Government of Japan shall be the Ministry 

of Defense, and the competent authority of the Government 

of the United States of America shall be the Department of 

Defense. 

5. The financial obligations and expenditures incurred by 

the Government of Japan and the Government of the United 

States of America under the present understanding and all 

arrangements to be m~e hereunder shall be subject to 
budget authorization pursuant to the constitutional and 

legislative provisions of the respective countries. 

I have the honor to propose that, if the above 

understanding is acceptable to the Government of the United 

States of America, the present.Note and your reply of 

acceptance shall be regarded as constituting an agreement 

between the two Governments, which shall enter into force 

on the date of your reply and shall remain in force until 

six months after the date of the receipt of notice of 

termination by either Government. 

I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to you the 

assurance of my high consideration." 

I have the honor to confirm on behalf of the Government of 

the United States of America that th~; foregoing understanding is 

acceptable to the Government of the United States of America and 

to agree that Your Excellency's Note and this reply shall be 

regarded as constituting an agreement between the two 

Governments, which shall enter into force on the date of this 

reply and shall remain in force until six months after the date 

of the receipt of notice of termination by either Government. 

I avail myself of this opportunity to renew to Your 

Excellency the assurance of my highest consideration. 

Sincerely, 

~~-ra 

Joseph M. Young 

Charge d'Affaires ad interim. 

of the United States of America