March 26, 2012
The government is seeking to delete a provision limiting Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) only to peaceful purposes from the JAXA law, paving the way for the use of space and research for military purposes.
Akahata on March 26 ran an interview with astrophysicist Ikeuchi Satoru, professor at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies. The excerpts are as follows:
Q: What do you think of the move by Japan toward the use of space for military purposes?
A: The industrial community has long promoted and lobbied for the use of space for military purposes. The peaceful use of space does not provide enough moneymaking opportunities. In contrast, corporations stand to benefit greatly from military development projects because they involve huge government expenditures.
Q: What will happen if the JAXA law is revised?
A: The government will be free to divert all kinds of space technologies to military use and will create a system to mobilize JAXA to deal with supposed emergency situation. The military use of space has no limits so before we know it, Japan will become a space based military superpower.
Q: What impact will it have on space science?
A: I don’t think that obvious military research will begin immediately. However, in the name of national security, JAXA may have to follow top-down orders to place priority on research applicable to military uses. Pure science research may have to be limited.
Many JAXA researchers and engineers want their achievements to be useful for peaceful endeavors, but as they are, after all, employees, they have to obey work orders. I fear that such orders will lead to constraints and a narrowing of scope of research endeavors.
Researchers in Japan are facing fierce competition to obtain research funding. It will be difficult for them to maintain their independence let alone their objectivity if they face cutbacks in their funding. Some young researchers who cannot get full-time positions may be limited to military-related research.
I’m worried that the quality of Japan’s contribution to space science will deteriorate due to a possible absence of good researchers in the future.
Akahata on March 26 ran an interview with astrophysicist Ikeuchi Satoru, professor at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies. The excerpts are as follows:
Q: What do you think of the move by Japan toward the use of space for military purposes?
A: The industrial community has long promoted and lobbied for the use of space for military purposes. The peaceful use of space does not provide enough moneymaking opportunities. In contrast, corporations stand to benefit greatly from military development projects because they involve huge government expenditures.
Q: What will happen if the JAXA law is revised?
A: The government will be free to divert all kinds of space technologies to military use and will create a system to mobilize JAXA to deal with supposed emergency situation. The military use of space has no limits so before we know it, Japan will become a space based military superpower.
Q: What impact will it have on space science?
A: I don’t think that obvious military research will begin immediately. However, in the name of national security, JAXA may have to follow top-down orders to place priority on research applicable to military uses. Pure science research may have to be limited.
Many JAXA researchers and engineers want their achievements to be useful for peaceful endeavors, but as they are, after all, employees, they have to obey work orders. I fear that such orders will lead to constraints and a narrowing of scope of research endeavors.
Researchers in Japan are facing fierce competition to obtain research funding. It will be difficult for them to maintain their independence let alone their objectivity if they face cutbacks in their funding. Some young researchers who cannot get full-time positions may be limited to military-related research.
I’m worried that the quality of Japan’s contribution to space science will deteriorate due to a possible absence of good researchers in the future.
