Space has emerged as a critical element in the national security systems of countries. The competition among major powers is no longer confined to land, sea, air, and cyberspace; it has expanded into space as a vital arena for escalation, leading to mutual accusations regarding the pursuit of “militarizing space,” and potentially even to the deployment of nuclear weapons in space.
In response to the security threats surrounding Japan due to the military activities of China and North Korea, Japan has identified space as a solution to bolster its national security. The country is striving in every way to enhance its partnership with the United States in the field of space security within the framework of the close security alliance between the two nations, viewing it as fundamental to both countries’ approach to maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
In this context, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington released a comprehensive report in August 2024 by Kari A. Bingen and Makena Young titled “From Earth to Space: The Evolution of Japan’s Space Security Policy and a Blueprint for Strengthening the U.S.-Japan Space Security Partnership,” as part of the research efforts of the Space Security Program.
The report discusses the history of Japan’s space programs, reviews the country’s space capabilities, and examines developments in space security following the Basic Space Law of 2008. It also addresses significant international partnerships in space, particularly with the United States, highlighting key barriers and potential constraints that may challenge this partnership and that must be overcome to achieve greater cooperation.
Development of Institutions and Policies:
Japan’s space policy has evolved at institutional, organizational, and defensive policy levels, which can be illustrated as follows:
- Institutional and Organizational Structure: Japan’s interest in its space program began in the 1950s with the establishment and commissioning of three distinct institutions: the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), and the National Space Development Agency (NASDA). These three institutions carried out their assigned tasks until they were later merged to form the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in October 2003. Under the law establishing the agency, its tasks include: (1) developing research in academic institutions and universities, (2) promoting space and aeronautics sciences and technologies, and (3) enhancing the use and development of space for peaceful purposes only. In the early 2000s, it was also authorized to participate in security-related activities, entering into technical cooperation agreements with the Japanese Ministry of Defense. The report indicated that the organizational structure overseeing Japanese space activities is fragmented, with overlapping roles among various institutions and prevalent competition among ministries with a lack of formal coordination regarding space issues in Japan. At the executive level, the National Space Policy Strategic Headquarters was established in 2008 under the Basic Space Law. The National Space Policy Secretariat (NSPS) was also created in Japan in 2012 to assist in coordinating space policies, budgeting across different ministries, and issuing licenses. With the increasing integration of space into defense, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has also become a significant stakeholder in space.
- Space and Security Policies: Japan began to slowly integrate space into its comprehensive security policies starting from the late 2000s, coinciding with China’s direct tests of anti-satellite missiles (ASAT) in 2007, which resulted in thousands of debris in low Earth orbit (LEO). Japan was among the first nations to condemn the tests alongside the United States and the United Kingdom, followed by many others. One year after that incident, in 2008, the Japanese Parliament adopted the Basic Space Law, which is considered the first foundational document in Japanese space policy; it clearly defined national security as a goal of Japanese space activities, contrasting with decades-long national policy that mandated using space solely for non-military purposes. In January 2013, Japan released the second version of its Basic Space Policy, outlining government-led space activities for the upcoming decade and citing the rapidly changing space environment as a motivator to update the country’s policies. The document proposed a substantial shift in Japanese space development from a focus on scientific and technological research to utilizing space for national security objectives and environmental monitoring. It also emphasized the need for the space industry to be a competitive resource for space capabilities and services for buyers outside Japan. The third version was released in January 2015, along with the request for parliamentary approval of two industry-focused space laws: the Space Activities Act (SAA) and the Remote Sensing Data Act. In June 2020, Japan issued its fourth Basic Space Policy, acknowledging for the first time the urgent need to develop space assets to enhance national security, recognizing the reliance of militaries and governments on space systems, and the risks of interference with the sustainable use of outer space. In December 2022, Japan released three new strategic documents: the Japanese National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Defense Build-up Program, which reflected a turning point in Japan’s defense posture; these documents included the use of space in defense and national security, marking a significant change from past policies. In June 2023, the fifth Basic Space Policy was released, highlighting the accelerating use of space to serve national security objectives, along with the increasing dependence of economic and social activities on space systems. The document also indicates that access to space has become more democratic, a transformation referred to as “space transformation.” The plan reaffirms the significance of collaboration between private and government investment in space. Furthermore, Japan launched the Space Security Initiative in June 2023 to outline its plans for space engineering for national security. In 2024, a Space Technology Strategy was issued, setting a timeline for developing civil and military sectors in satellite technology, space science and exploration, space transportation, and multidimensional technologies. The strategy also prioritizes efforts to mitigate supply chain risks to Japan’s space technology capabilities and links the competitiveness of the Japanese space industry to its national security. Tokyo has designated 2027 as a key turning point for enhancing its national defense, considering space capabilities as part of a broader strategic effort encompassing military modernization, ammunition procurement, infrastructure improvement, and enhanced training and exercises.
Space Project Funding:
Japan has established plans to expand its space capabilities and develop its industrial base. Consequently, Tokyo has more than doubled its investments in civil and security space over the past five years, including space technology for defense and dual-use applications. Over the next decade, the Japanese government has committed to allocating one trillion yen (approximately $6.9 billion) to a Space Strategy Fund aimed at expanding the space industrial base in Japan, which will be managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Similar to the United States and others, Japan recognizes the economic and technological advantages of space and how its investments signal demand to stimulate private sector innovation and attract technical talent. The report posits that advances in space help address global sustainability challenges, resource management, and disaster relief. An additional trillion yen is expected to be allocated for space security from 2023 to 2027.
The value of Japan’s space industry is estimated at around 1.2 trillion yen (approximately $8.6 billion) according to estimates from the World Economic Forum, and the government aims to double the size of this industry by the early 2030s. The majority of launch vehicle operations are currently being conducted in the private sector under the oversight of JAXA. Regarding startups, between 2000 and 2021, Japan accounted for the third-largest number of investors in the space startup sector, following the United States and China.
Partnership with Washington:
Japan’s approach to space security is closely associated with U.S. policies and actions. Key components of the space partnership between the two countries include:
- Extended Cooperation: Space has become more prominent in high-level discussions between the United States and Japan, with political and military leaders from both countries committed to deepening cooperation in space security. This is based on a long history of space cooperation, particularly through civil space missions and organizations, including human spaceflight, scientific research, satellite navigation and communications, and defense collaboration.
- Framework Agreement: In January 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a bilateral framework agreement for space, enhancing cooperation in space exploration while also discussing the need to improve alignment in their positions on space power. Officials now regularly emphasize the increasing importance of space for stability, security, and economic prosperity.
- Artemis Partnership: Japan is a partner in NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to explore the Moon and Mars. As part of the Artemis missions, the lunar Gateway will serve as a space station orbiting the Moon for deep space exploration. Japan is one of seven key countries that signed the Artemis Accords with NASA in 2020.
- Goal Integration: Japan intends to radically expand the use of space systems to bolster national security while taking a proactive role in shaping responsible behavior standards in outer space. The United States prioritizes a resilient space architecture, promoting responsible behaviors in space, and expanding space cooperation to enhance information sharing and joint operations.
Development Opportunities:
The CSIS report outlines the primary areas of cooperation in space security that can merge the complementary strengths of the Japanese and U.S. governments to enhance the national security interests of both countries, as follows:
- Enhancing Human Development: By striving to build greater space proficiency within Japanese defense institutions and supporting industry through education and training, which is fundamental for any space cooperation activities.
- Joint Space Exercises: Japan should be encouraged, with U.S. support, to develop a greater understanding through its military services of how space capabilities contribute to security and defense missions by integrating space capabilities into joint exercises.
- Data and Information Sharing: Exchanging assessments of space and cyber threats is a logical starting point for enhancing and expanding Space Domain Awareness (SDA) data sharing, relying on the trilateral information-sharing model used by the United States, Japan, and South Korea for sharing data on North Korean missile launches.
- Expanding Supply Chains: The U.S. and Japan should consider each country’s unique and complementary industrial base strengths and not limit their partnerships in space; thus, they can increase supply chain resilience and seek investors to bolster startup systems in space.
- Cyber Investment: The U.S. and Japan should incorporate the digital transformation and cybersecurity element into the bilateral space agenda, so that digital infrastructure acts as a catalyst for enhanced interoperability and information sharing at the operational level.
In conclusion, the report notes that despite efforts to strengthen the space security partnership between Japan and the United States, policymakers need to address existing barriers. Foremost among these is the need for leaders from both countries to define clear priorities and pathways to mobilize their institutions and industries to act. Furthermore, both countries need to commit to ambitious space architecture plans; however, implementing these plans will face long-term challenges concerning resource availability, industrial capacity, and skilled labor in high-tech fields, making it even more essential to build industrial relationships that leverage the strengths of each nation.
Source:
Kari A. Bingen and Makena Young, “From Earth to Uchū: The Evolution of Japan’s Space Security Policy and a Blueprint for Strengthening the U.S.-Japan Space Security Partnership”, CSIS, August 23, 2024, Available at:
