28 July 2025 The Ministry of Defense of Japan published recommendations, aimed at strengthening the country's defense capabilities in space through cooperation between the public and private sectors. The document was presented after Defense Minister Gen Nakatani visited the Space Situational Awareness Radar Station of the Air Self-Defense Forces (ASDF) in the city of Sanyonoda, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan.
The main provisions of the recommendations
The recommendations emphasize the need to create capabilities for real-time detection and tracking of enemy ships and troops from space for rapid assessment of war situations. Special attention was paid to the protection of satellites of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) from the so-called "killer companions", which are being developed by China and Russia. These threats include anti-satellite weapons (ASAT), such as robotic manipulators, jammers for communication interference and laser weapons, capable of disabling satellites.
Context and strategic goals
IN 2022 In 2015, the Japanese government announced plans to rename the Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) on the Air and Space Self-Defense Forces to 2027 year, to emphasize the expansion of space operations. The move reflects the growing importance of space for national security, especially against the background of threats from hypersonic gliders (HGV), developed by China (example, Dongfeng-17 ballistic missile) and Russia, as well as an increase in the number of reconnaissance satellite launches by North Korea.
To realize these goals, the Ministry of Defense of Japan (JMOD) is planning:
Develop a constellation of small satellites for reconnaissance, observation, reconnaissance and targeting (ISRT), which will support the capabilities of "deterrence defense" (standoff defense), that is, strikes on targets outside Japan.
Launch a space situational awareness satellite (SDA) in 2026 year for monitoring space objects, which are difficult to detect by ground means.
Strengthen cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the private sector, in particular through the use of commercial technologies, such as SpaceX's Starlink and Eutelsat's OneWeb satellites.
Increase the budget for space programs to approx 1 trillion yen (7,5 A billion dollars of US) for five years, starting with 2023 financial year, which is more than double the previous annual spending on space.
Challenges and international cooperation
The recommendations emphasize the importance of integrating commercial technologies to accelerate the development of space systems. Example, a constellation of satellites to detect and track targets will require thousands of satellites with infrared sensors to monitor hypersonic vehicles, which is a technologically complex and expensive task. For this, JMOD cooperates with the USA, in particular through the newly created in December 2024 year unit of the US Space Force (US Space Forces Japan) at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, and also plans joint projects to develop a constellation of satellites for early warning of ballistic missiles and HGVs.
Despite progress, Japan faces challenges, particularly the lack of experience in integrating space systems with JSDF ground operations. In October 2024 of the year Agency for acquisition, technologies and logistics (ATLA) opened the Defense Innovation Science and Technology Institute in Tokyo to accelerate research and adapt commercial technologies for military needs.
Source: https://www.nippon.com