The Japanese Defense Ministry has announced its first-ever “Space Domain Defense Guidelines” aimed at strengthening defense capabilities in outer space.
The guidelines, published on July 28, outline the direction for enhancing defense in outer space, in anticipation of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s renaming to the Japan Air and Space Self-Defense Force in fiscal year 2027.
The guidelines state that Japan will thoroughly protect satellites operated by the Self-Defense Forces and ensure the use of outer space by the government and private sector, which is the foundation of people’s lives.
In particular, the guidelines sounded the alarm that China, Russia, and other countries are moving forward with the development of killer satellites that can attack other countries’ satellites, and that space is becoming increasingly a combat domain.
“In order to ensure their own military superiority, some countries, including China and Russia, are actively developing technologies to disrupt and neutralize other countries’ satellites, such as developing technologies that will contribute to so-called killer satellites, conducting demonstration experiments of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPOs), and developing and testing the direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) missile,” the guidelines pointed out.
“These countries recognize these technologies as a means to make the military use of space more effective and are actively investing in improving their capabilities, which is making space a more combat domain and increasing threats and risks in outer space,” the document continued.
Along with the guidelines, the Defense Ministry also released its next-generation information and communications strategy, which focuses on developing future infrastructures that will facilitate information sharing among the three branches of the Self-Defense Forces (Ground, Maritime, and Air) and enable real-time, high-capacity communications. It aims to incorporate cutting-edge private sector technology in order to develop data transmission between satellites and between satellites and headquarters. It also aims to build robust and flexible security by utilizing next-generation encryption communication technology.
“It is an urgent task to incorporate innovative private sector technologies, which are rapidly advancing in the space and information and communications fields, and to utilize and promote outer space and next-generation information and communications technologies,” Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen told reporters on July 28 after a visit to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s space situation awareness radar in Sanyo-onoda, Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan.
“The use of outer space is now the very foundation of people’s lives, and it also serves as the core of command and control and intelligence gathering infrastructure in terms of national security,” he said.
The guidelines specifically outline four directions for strengthening defense capabilities.
First is ensuring a rapid and accurate grasp of the battlefield. Japan aims to build a satellite constellation to detect and track moving targets in real time.
Second is ensuring satellite communications as the foundation of operations. Japan will strengthen interoperability with allies and like-minded countries and resilience against the interference capabilities of neighboring countries, such as radio jamming, by developing the next generation of defense communications satellites.
Third is mission assurance. Tokyo will further strengthen space domain awareness capabilities to quickly detect threats to government and civilian satellites and understand their intentions and capabilities.
Fourth further enhancing Japan’s capability to disrupt Command, Control, Communications, Computer & Intelligence (C4I) and other capabilities of an opponent. Japan plans to further strengthen its capabilities to interfere with enemy C4I, amid growing threats to military operations, such as the diversification and multilayering of enemy space utilization.
The guidelines do not specify what specific measures will be taken toward this end. A Japanese Defense Ministry official also maintained a confidential stance during a press briefing, saying, “We cannot reveal our specific plans.”
However, this is thought to refer primarily to jamming in the electromagnetic domain. Active cyber defense may also be under consideration
Beijing quickly responded to Japan’s announcement. “China firmly opposes Japan’s attempt to create a pretext for its own military buildup by peddling the narrative of threats from other countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on July 29. He accused “Japan, the U.S., and other Western countries” of using “‘defense’ as a pretext to develop and deploy space weapons.”
Guo said that “China is committed to the peaceful use of outer space, and opposes any arms race in outer space.”