A New York Times article from March 1989 compared DARPA to Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry, even though the latter had nothing to do with the military. “At a time when more industries are seeking Government help to hold their own against Asian and European competitors, DARPA is stepping into the void, becoming the closest thing this nation has to Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the agency that organizes the industrial programs that are credited with making Japan so competitive,” the article said.
