space

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LDP sets out to prepare new law allowing use of outer space for military purposes

In a move to gut the Diet resolution restricting outer space development to peaceful purposes, a Liberal Democratic Party special committee on outer space development has begun preparing a new law to allow military use of outer space and has begun preparatory work.

The 1969 Diet resolution stated that the development and use of outer space should be restricted to peaceful purposes.

The government has previously explained that peaceful purposes are non-military, but the new law proposed by the LDP will allow the military use of outer space within the scope of the right of self-defense. The military use of outer space is the strong demand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and other space-military firms, and the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) is responding to their request by systematically promoting this policy.

If a new law is enacted, it will pave the way for the Self-Defense Forces to launch satellites, and possess high-performance spy satellites and satellites for early detection of ballistic missiles.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Yoshii Hidekatsu, a member of a Dietmembers' league on outer space, pointed out the danger of the LDP move. Saying that the military industry, urged by the sense of crisis at declining budgets for outer space development due to fiscal constraints, is planning to open a path to using outer space militarily by exaggerating the threats of China and terrorism, he empasized that the new law needs to be blocked.

In March 2004, the government launched an intelligence satellite allegedly for security and for responding to major disasters. What followed in the last three years shows that the images were not made public even though the satellite was for preventing disasters, and any piece of information concerning the satellite was kept secret, under the penalty of imprisonment for breaching national security.

To date, the intelligence satellite has cost about 500 billion yen, but information about how they were used was kept secret even from Dietmembers. Several tens of billions of yen is used every year to replace the satellite with an expiring life span with a new one.

Under a new law allowing the military use of outer space, there are dangers that secrecy and budget costs will increase without limits.
- Akahata, May 7, 2006