Japan law allows military use of space

Tokyo, May 21: Japan passed a new law on Wednesday allowing the use of space for defence, an official said, reversing a decades-old policy amid increasing concern about military threats in the region.

While Japan has no current plans for a new defence project in space, experts say the law could clear the way for the launch of early-warning satellites. The move comes amid growing concerns here about North Korea’s ballistic missile development and China’s military and space programmes.

The Opposition-controlled Upper House voted 221 to 14 to revise a 1969 parliamentary resolution limiting Japan’s use of space to non-military applications, an Upper House official said.

The bill was already approved by the Lower House last week. The new law aims to remove any legal obstacles to building more advanced spy satellites and to help innovation in the country’s space industry.

The Opposition Japanese Communist Party was against the bill, fearing it would lead to a stronger military. Japan’s US-imposed post-World War II Constitution says the country will never again wage war.

Japanese troops have not fired a shot since 1945, although the country has one of the world’s largest defence budgets. Japan has been stepping up its space programme and is now conducting the most extensive probe of the moon. (AFP)