Japan’s Space Ambitions
Historically, space has been the exclusive domain for the government and multinational projects, although this situation has been altered by the increasing ventures of the private sector dubbed as the ‘New Space’. New Space is basically the manifestation of the involvement of the new technologies in the space domain that were not there prior to the inclusion of the private players. Notwithstanding with the fact that Japan has been the home of some of the critical technologies that are instrumental in space exploration, the new space war appears to be the toughest of all the times. However, Japan possesses a proud history of public funded space exploration missions given it is the only forth country to venture into space and only the third to send spacecraft into Mars and Moon that too when it has bounding commitments for the peaceful uses of outer space as per the “the Outer Space Treaty” of 1967.
The space race is becoming intense day by day specially in the region of Indo – Pacific where the military use of the outer space has become a reality, China’s schismatic approach towards the utilization of outer space in the military warfare and multiple demonstration of antisatellite capabilities by the Russia and China has escalated tensions and apprehensions in the minds of Japanese leadership. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe harbored the intentions to employ the outer space in the national security which he has reiterated many times, moreover he himself confirmed the establishment of a unit for the space operations inside the Air Self Defense Force (SDF) by the start of fiscal year 2020.
The initiation of the shifting away from the ‘peaceful’ purposes to the ‘non-offensive’ purposes has begun in 1998 by the deployment of the Information-Gathering Satellite (IGS) program to monitor Pyongyang, in the response of North Korea’s launching of Taepodong-1 missile over Japanese airspace; the charge of violation of the pledge of peaceful use has been denied by the government asserting that the multifunction IGS system exclusively dedicated to the defensive duties of the Self Defense Force (SDF). The development has been later emboldened by the establishment of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2003 by amalgamating the Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences (ISAS), the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) and the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), that has helped Japan’s decentralized space program to centralize its ambitions under one institution shying away from the severe constrained and underrated loose framework of its space program.
Japan’s insufficient space budget and restrictive defense related space policies have prevented Japan form developing into a space power majorly due to the constraint put by the U.S. - Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation which have barred the nation form deploying the aviation the aerospace technologies as well as from transferring technologies to the third nation, considerably cut the chances of becoming commercial hub for space technologies. The curb has been loosened a bit in 1969 by signing an agreement for the transferring of the technology of launch vehicle. However, the dependence over American companies has shaken only after the introduction of Japan’s Indigenous H-2 rocket, first launched in 1994 developed jointly by the NASDA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD (MHI). With various versions of H-2 series, the H-2A and H-2B in service, JAXA and MHI are working for the development of the more flexible, reliable and cost-efficient H-3 rocket.
Japan space strategy is purely defensive in the sense that it aimed to defend the space-based asset which could throttle the SDF, in the event of Chinese and Russian ASAT attack. A report in 2019 by Japanese defense ministry portrayed the Chinese and Russian antisatellite capabilities as the main dangers to the national security. The primary objective of the Japan’s space program is to ensure the ability to defend the space-based assets as well as tackle the issue of space debris along with the smooth commercialization of the space domain, these objectives echoed in the passing of the Basic Space Law in 2008 which have enacted to increase the pace of space development and the use of outer space. Japan ASDF space domain is likely to be operational from 2022, staffed with 20 personnel enrolled to conduct mission for securing satellites, and it will cooperate with the US space command for securing East Asia. Even though the use of space-based assets is permitted for non-offensive use, Japan information gathering satellite system and the GPS augmentation device the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System is likely to enhance the Japan's space surveillance along with early warning and military intelligence. However, in spite of several reiteration of non-offensive use of space, Japan’s space program has some offensive dimensions too that echoed in its stated goals to build the capabilities to disrupt C4I of the adversary. Moreover, the deployment of Japan’s own ASAT can also not be ruled out in the future. In addition, the IGSs and the positioning system are the key assets for allowing the SDF for precision strike.
The success of the Kirobo (robotic astronaut) to the International Space Station (ISS) demonstrated Japanese niche strength in Robotics which Japan has been trying to employ in the dilution of the space debris. However, the first test of the electrodynamic tether has been unsuccessful, but the idea has not been dropped. The emergence of Japan as the space power stemmed by its space diplomacy in which it offers technological supports to the major international cooperation such as ISS as well as facilitating the launching of own cube satellites for Nigeria, Mongolia, Bangladesh, and Ghana under the auspices of “BIRDS” project. Japan has also launched the CubeSat on behalf of Bhutan, Malaysia, Philippines, and Kenya.
Besides all this JAXA is cooperating with major players of the Indo-pacific such as India and USA, the mega-constellation for early warning system is a major area where Indo-Japan collaboration seems imminent however it first meant to detect the North Korean Missiles but it is a global system which can detect the missiles all over the world. Other implications of Indo-Japan relations manifested in the Japan’s ambition to the Lunar landing. Albeit, it is specifically planned to contribute in the NASA mission called “Artemis”; developed for moon landing, through this Japan's eying for the footing on the moon without paying. Japan has offered to send its astronauts with developing a habitation module. However, Japan is likely to collaborate with India on Chandrayan -2 mission in which it will provide rocket and rover and India will develop lander, the talk regarding this mission is undergoing.
The ambitions of Japanese space mission encircled under its security needs, commercialization of capabilities along with technological demonstration in mission like Hayabusa –2 and space debris resolution. The military use of its space capacities is driven by the growing hostilities around its neighborhood with its own aim to resuscitate itself as the major space power nevertheless the process of re-militarization is likely to occur on a slow pace attributed to its budget constrains as well as peace-loving national sentiments.
References
1. Lionel Fatton (Feb 2020) Is Japan entering the new space race? | East Asia Forum
https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2020/02/20/is-japan-entering-the-new-space-race/
2. Kazuto Suzuki (August 2020) Japan’s new basic space plan and its implication to Japan-India cooperation, Financial Express.
3. Anupama Vijayakumar (January 25, 2020), To Infinity and Beyond: Japan’s Rise as a Space Power, The diplomate.
https://thediplomat.com/2020/01/to-infinity-and-beyond-japans-rise-as-a-space-power/
4. Meghan Bartels (October 23, 2019), Japan Sets Sights on Moon with NASA and India, Space.com.
https://www.space.com/japan-moon-plans-with-nasa-india.html
5. About H3 launch Vehicle, JAXA.jp
https://global.jaxa.jp/projects/rockets/h3/
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https://www.britannica.com/topic/Japan-Aerospace-Exploration-Agency
7. Park Si-Soo ( March 9, 2021), Japan budgets a record $4.14 billion for space activities, Space news.
https://spacenews.com/japan-budgets-a-record-4-14-billion-for-space-activities/
8. Japan’s Space Policy(Apr 12, 2021), Nippon.com.
https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d00680/
9. Lionel Fatton (July 2020), Japan’s Space Program: Shifting Away from “Non-Offensive” Purposes?, IFRI.org.
10. JASDF, Defending Japan’s peace from the skies, Build a structure for defending Japan, Ministary of defense, Govt of Japan.
https://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/English_page/roles/role04/page05/index.html
11. Basic Space Law 2008, Govt of Japan.
https://stage.tksc.jaxa.jp/spacelaw/country/japan/27A-1.E.pdf
12. Tomasz Nowakowski (July 7, 2015), JAPAN SHOWS OFF ITS SPACE AMBITIONS WITH UPCOMING HTV FLIGHT, Spaceflight Insider.
13. Neel V. Patel (July 22, 2020), Why Japan is emerging as NASA’s most important space partner, MIT Technology Review.
Pic Courtesy-NASA at unsplash.com
(The views expressed are personal views of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)
Gaurav Sen is a graduate from Delhi University. He is currently doing his Masters in International relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His research area includes IR theories, Great Power competition in Indo-Pacific, Maritime Security, Emerging Warfare Concepts, and Military Strategies.
