Japan Looks to Space to Shore up National Security

As part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen Japan’s space capabilities to ensure its national security, the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo has requested about 165.4 billion yen ($1.1 billion) for space-related defense activities and programs for fiscal year 2024.

“The space domain is now the foundation of national life and national security, and it is extremely important for Japan to secure superiority in the use of space,” stated the budget proposal, released by the ministry on August 31.

“For this reason, it is necessary to strengthen space operations capabilities, including the ability to collect information using the space domain,” it added.

Specifically, the ministry aims to enhance its Space Domain Awareness (SDA) system, which is expected to detect, track, and characterize objects and activities in Earth’s orbital environment. Tokyo is especially determined to detect and identify suspicious satellites and space debris to enhance the safety, security, and sustainability of space activities and to minimize the risk of collisions and interference in space.

The Defense Ministry’s budget request includes 17.2 billion yen ($116 million) to acquire Japan’s first SDA satellite, which is scheduled to be launched in fiscal year 2026.

To boost SDA capabilities, the budget also includes 200 million yen ($1.3 million) to conduct research on the technical feasibility of linking various sensors of the Japan Self-Defense Forces to geostationary satellites, such as communication satellites owned by other entities. Integrating a military sensor with a commercial communications satellite is based on the so-called “hosted payload” concept, which refers to a satellite payload or instrument that is hosted on a satellite platform operated by another organization.

This is not new internationally; the United States Air Force tested hosted payloads in space in 2008 for the first time.

The Japanese Defense Ministry’s budget proposal also includes 5 billion yen ($52.4 million) to demonstrate optical data relay between geostationary orbits by using optical data relay satellites operated by private operators.

The Ministry of Defense is not alone in trying to increase its space-related budget for fiscal year 2024. On September 14, the Space Development Strategy Promotion Secretariat of the Cabinet Office announced that the total space-related budget requests made by all of Japan’s ministries had reached 497.2 billion yen ($5.2 billion).

According to the secretariat, the main breakdown is as follows: the Cabinet Secretariat requested 75.5 billion yen ($791 million), for development and operation of information gathering satellites; the Cabinet Office, 25.4 billion yen ($266 million), for development, maintenance, and operation of quasi-zenith satellite systems and other endeavors; the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 203.3 billion yen ($1.37 billion), for research and development for the U.S.-led Artemis program and more; and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 21.7 billion yen ($146 million), for research and development to strengthen the competitiveness of small satellites among other efforts.

This whole-of-government approach came after the government formulated its first Space Security Initiative in June. The initiative promotes the use of space for defense purposes and joint technological development between the public and private sectors.

“Space systems are the foundation of national power. I would like to continue to strongly advance space policy,” Economic Security Minister Takaichi Sanae, who is in charge of the nation’s space policy, said at a meeting of the Cabinet Office Space Policy Committee held on September 14 in Tokyo.

This was the committee’s first discussion on formulating a “Space Technology Strategy” by the end of this fiscal year, which would include policies and roadmaps for technology development in the security and civilian fields.

Japan also plans to rebrand the Air Self-Defense Force as the Air and Space Self-Defense Force by fiscal year 2027 to reinforce its space operation capability and develop a system to ensure superiority in use of space. That mandate was mentioned in the National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program approved in December 2022.

Until recently, Japan had adhered to non-military uses of outer space for decades as part of its commitment to pacifism following its defeat in World War II. Thus, the nation has been lagging behind major countries such as the United States, China, and Russia in the practical application of dual-use technology that can be used by both the military and industry, including in outer space. In terms of space security, it will be essential for Tokyo to devise ways to draw out the strengths of the private sector, including its start-ups.