“As our mission is in unknown territory,
a big challenge for us is human-resource
development,” said Lieutenant Colonel
KANAGAWA Ayumi, chief of theDefense Plans Section of HQ Space
Operations Group of the Japan Air SelfDefense Force. GETTY IMAGESPROTECTINGSPACE SECURITY:-A NEW MISSION FOR JAPAN’S SELF DEFENSE FORCES
Threats are increasingly impacting the stable use of outer space, including the collision of space debris with satellites andother objects. To contribute to space security, the Space Operations Group of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force has been
intensifying its efforts.
The development of outerspace has progressed apace inrecent years, with various spacebased technologies—GPS, satellite
communications, and weather
forecasting—now playing importantroles in our lives. At the sametime, though, new threats havebeen growing. Large quantities ofspace debris in Earth orbit haveheightened the risk of collisions
with satellites and other objects,
while the neutralization ofsatellites through cyberattacks
and other harmful actions—withserious global consequences—is
now a reality.
Given that backdrop, many
countries, including Japan, havestriven to enhance their capability
for Space Domain Awareness(SDA). Colonel MINAMIKenji, director of the 2nd Force
Structuring Division, Air Staff
Office, Ministry of Defense(MOD), said, “SDA refers tounderstanding the position andorbit of space objects (including
the space environment), as wellas the operation and utilizationof spacecraft and their intentions
and capabilities.” As to theimportance of SDA, SHIBATA
Yuri, principal deputy directorof the MOD’s Strategic Planning
Division, explained, “Space is very
beneficial for operations on Earth
as it has no national borders andany point can be accessed. The
same properties, however, could
become vulnerabilities owing tothe difficulty of preventing attacks
and unforeseen threats. Initiatives
must be taken to ensure that suchthings do not happen.”

In Japan, the Space Operations
Group of the Japan Air SelfDefense Force ( JASDF) is
broadening its activities toward
establishing an SDA system. The
group began operations in 2022
as an expansion of the Space
Operations Squadron, which waslaunched in 2020 as a spacedomain mission unit.
Since 2023, it has commenced thefull operation of a system to grasp
the position and orbit of space
objects. Working with the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA) and other organizations,
it conducts monitoring activities
around the clock and notifies
satellite operators of the possibilityof approaching objects. “You might
imagine something out of ‘StarWars,’ but in reality, it is a downto-earth mission in which we use
various sensors on the ground tounderstand the situation in space
and, when necessary, alert satellite
operators about approaching
objects,” said Lieutenant Colonel
KANAGAWA Ayumi, chief of theDefense Plans Section of JASDF’s
HQ Space Operations Group.
International collaboration is aprerequisite to understanding thesituation in space, which contains
more than 27,000 observable
objects that are bigger than 10 cm
in Earth orbit, including spacedebris. Since its establishment,
the Space Operations Group has
been taking part in multilateraltabletop exercises, such as the U.S.
Space Command’s Global Sentinel
exercises and Schriever Wargame,with like-minded countries. In
2024, Japan also joined AsterX,which has the participation ofLeft: In FY2023, Japan introduced new equipment, including a system to monitor interference with
its satellites (photo). Additionally, an SDA satellite is scheduled for launch in FY2026 to monitor
objects that are difficult to observe with ground-based equipment.
Right: In March 2024, the Space Operations Group participated for the first time in AsterX, amultinational tabletop exercise hosted by the French Air and Space Force.

14 countries, primarily membersof the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO).
The sharing of data andknowledge with countries fromother regions of the world not
only leads to better global
situational awareness, but also
promotes the mutual recognitionof each country’s capabilities
and efforts in understanding
the space domain, fostering
trust and strengthening futurecollaboration. Even in space,
Japan acts in line with thebasic principles of the JapaneseConstitution, which calls forpacifism, maintaining an exclusively
defense-oriented policy and not
becoming a military power thatposes a threat to other countries.
“These interactions also present
good opportunities to get theother participating countries tounderstand our position,” said
Minami.
Besides international collaboration,
it is also critical to work withthe private sector, which isbecoming the driving force ofspace development. The Space
Operations Group often seeks
cooperation from cutting-edge
companies to learn from theirtechnologies and expertise.

Moreover, in 2023, JASDF set up
an office in a shared working spacein Tokyo as a venue for interactions
with startups and other companies.
To date, it has exchanged
information with more than 120
companies, examining various ideas
such as the application of civil
technology in military equipment.
JASDF plans to change its nameto “Japan Air and Space SelfDefense Force” by FY2027. Thisimplies that the stable use of outerspace will become increasingly
important for Japan and theworld. According to Kanagawa,“The more we rely on space
infrastructure, the more invisible
threats we face. It is our mission
to protect people from such
unforeseeable risks by developing
the SDA system in collaboration
with other countries.”
Colonel MINAMI Kenji (right), director of the
2nd Force Structuring Division, Air Staff Office,Ministry of Defense (MOD), and SHIBATA
Yuri (left), principal deputy director of the
MOD’s Strategic Planning Division.