Japan plans to allow military use of space

TOKYO: Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) plans to submit a bill to parliament as early as this year allowing military use of space for defensive purposes, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said on Sunday.   

If passed, the new law would enable the government to launch reconnaissance satellites for defence purposes, enabling it to detect North Korean missile launches and other military incidents, the paper said.   

Japan's use of space is currently limited to non-military purposes under a strict interpretation of a UN treaty that Tokyo ratified in 1967 and a subsequent parliamentary resolution.   

Some nations have interpreted the treaty to allow military activities not considered offensive in nature, the Yomiuri said.   

Japan has three intelligence-gathering satellites in orbit out of a set of four planned after North Korea fired a ballistic missile over the country in 1998, but they are not controlled by the Defence Agency.   

Since the satellites can only incorporate technologies in widespread civilian use, they offer far lower levels of resolution than US military satellites, hampering Japan's efforts to monitor North Korea, which test-fired another barrage of missiles in July.   

Japanese space officials have also complained that the ban on military use has made Japan's space industry uncompetitive in the international arena.   

Japan's space development "should contribute to peace in the international community, peace and independence of the nation and secure the safety of the nation and the people," the Yomiuri quoted the draft bill as saying.   

It also calls for the cabinet to set up a strategic headquarters for promoting space development, the paper said.   

The LDP hopes to obtain the approval of its junior coalition partner New Komeito and submit the bill to parliament either this year or next, the paper said.