Japanese officials have entered into discussions with Sydney-based, unmanned ocean surveillance system producer, Ocius, during the DSEI Japan 2025 defence and security exhibition, in what a company representative described as a potential watershed event for Australia’s defence industry.
According to the representative, high ranking officials from Japan’s Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) expressed interest in the submarine detection capabilities of Ocius’ Bluebottle unmanned surface vessels (USVs). Ocius, along with other exhibitors at the Australian pavilion, also met delegations from Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) and its advanced technology procurement-focused Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA), the source revealed.
Dubbed ‘satellites of the sea,’ the Bluebottle is a self-sustaining unmanned system capable of long distance and long duration autonomous surface and underwater surveillance operations. A key to its capacity for sustained operation is its combination of three propulsion units that exploit solar, wind and wave energy, which allow the Bluebottle to operate in all conditions. It is also capable of passive operation, and is affordable, with a facility for flat packed storage and transportation.
Interest in the Bluebottle coincides with growing concern in Tokyo about the threat posed by Chinese submarines. Last year, analysts expressed concerns that China may seek a more constant submarine presence in the Sea of Japan, which could potentially serve as a launching point for nuclear missiles aimed at the United States.
These anxieties followed sightings of what was believed to be a Chinese submarine just outside Japanese territorial waters near Amami Oshima island, roughly 250km north of Okinawa, in 2021.
It also comes as the MoD seeks to expand the use of unmanned and automated systems as a ‘trump card’ to overcome personnel shortages. The MoD’s 2025 annual budget revision paper requested ¥110 billion (approx. AU $1.2 billion) for unmanned assets including USVs and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) which, “based on the operational experiences of other nations,” can “effectively carry out reconnaissance and surveillance in the ocean and in the enemy’s threat zone.”
The Bluebottle has an international presence thanks to a sale of two Bluebottle USV’s to US autonomous maritime solutions provider, ThayerMahan, last year, following their performance in Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) exercises in San Diego Harbour in April 2024.
In November 2022, Ocius signed a contract with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to supply five Bluebottles. Since 2020, the Bluebottle has been licensed to operate autonomously in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
In a discussion with ADM at DSEI, the representative said that this year had been a bumper event for Australian exhibitors, mirroring sentiments expressed by other Australian participants. He also praised the support and advocacy of Team Defence Australia (TDA), noting that the Australian pavilion’s design and an effective communications strategy had enabled Australian industry to “punch above its weight” and receive an unprecedented level of attention from Japanese government and defence officials.
Among the visitors to the pavilion were high level government officials including the Minister of Defense, Gen Nakatani, and high-ranking personnel with decision making power within the Japan Self Defence Forces (JSDF), according to the source.
The attention comes after a push in Tokyo to extend defence cooperation with Australia and other leading Japanese defence partners further into the domain of defence industrial base and supply chain security collaboration – an area which Sayako Sumomo, Director of ATLA’s International Cooperation Division, Department of Equipment Policy, told ADM remains a “missing piece” in the two nations’ burgeoning defence partnership.
The Director added that this aspiration was a key motivator behind the Japanese government’s pursuit of a joint development and joint production arrangement with Australia for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ (MHI) Mogami-class multi-purpose frigate, one of the two remaining contenders for a $10 billion Australian General Purpose Frigates (GPF) contract. Nakatani, during a keynote speech on May 21, said a decision to purchase the Mogami-class frigate could bring a “new dimension” to Australia-Japan defence ties.
This year’s DSEI Japan, the third since its inauguration in 2019, was the largest in the event’s history, featuring 471 exhibitors from 33 nations (169 from Japan) in a venue spanning more than 26,500 metres, double the event’s previous incarnation, with a preliminary estimate of 14,000 attendees – up from around 8,500 in 2023. Around 40 Australian or Australian based/founded companies attended the event, placing Australian firms among the best represented non-domestic exhibitors.