The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) plan to shake up their approach to ship design with a newfound focus on software.

Traditional surface ships tend to decline after they reach their full potential upon commissioning, one observer noted during the Surface Warships conference in London, hosted by Defence IQ.

Navies need to keep their vessels relevant as the operational and technological environment changes. It is not enough to renovate ships on a large scale, the speaker suggested, as this will only temporarily enhance a ship’s capabilities.

Therefore, forces must be able to pre-empt capability degradation at the very start of the shipbuilding process.

Japan’s solution is to take a ‘Software-first’ approach. This is a concept that maximises user experience value by separating hardware and software, which enables capability improvements through software updates.

“Just like our personal technology, the performance of radars, sensors, signals, and combat systems are defined by the version of software that runs on them,” explains the Hudson Institute, a think tank promoting American leadership. “The capability of the force is now as much about software as it is about weapons, platforms, systems, professional military education, and training.”

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It is already a proven solution used within the Japanese automotive industry, the speaker stated, citing the rise of ‘software-defined vehicles’ (SDVs) under Toyota and Honda.

The former motor company suggests the approach is “the core DNA” of its mobility products, with the design of software architecture coming before hardware development. SDVs integrate intelligent and IT technologies and continue to advance in functions and performance even after the customer purchases the vehicle.

Naval logistics

To this end, the JMSDF have approached the German software supplier SAP to overhaul its traditional logistics processes with a new database. Japan’s new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project will go live in May 2026.

This platform is known as S/4HANA; the software will link equipment and items with related information and track them on the system.

In a world where defence companies must deliver actionable insights from a rapidly growing volume of data, ready access to information has become a competitive advantage. Simply maintaining old IT architectures risks companies and militaries being outmanoeuvred by their opposition due to slow response times.

“Software is becoming one of the most important weapons in the US Navy’s arsenal, and data its most lethal ammunition,” said the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

However, the defence industry should be careful not to overreact to such innovation. This will not, as some believe, throw the whole concept of a surface combatant into question.