U.S. to Set Up Space Forces in Japan in Dec.

Jiji Press

10:42 JST, November 18, 2024

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—The United States plans to set up space forces in Japan next month, Japanese Defense Ministry officials said Sunday.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed the plan during their meeting in Darwin, Australia, on Sunday, the Japanese ministry said.

The U.S. military’s Yokota Air Base in Tokyo will host space forces with a staff of about 10, which will be in charge of communication and coordination with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

The move is aimed at further advancing cooperation in the space domain between U.S. forces and the SDF to counter security threats from China and Russia.

Nakatani and Austin also agreed to cooperate in building a low Earth orbit constellation in response to hypersonic glide vehicles.