Defense & Security

U.S. Space Force Plans to Establish Command Post in Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun
The inauguration ceremony of the U.S. Space Forces Korea is held at Osan Air Base in South Korea on Dec. 14, 2022.

By Hiroshi Tajima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

21:04 JST, September 15, 2023

WASHINGTON—The U.S. military is planning to establish in Japan a command post for its Space Force in the near future. This move is aimed at strengthening cooperation between Japan and the United States in response to China’s expanding military use of space and North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

According to the online edition of Stars and Stripes, the quasi-official newspaper of the U.S. military, the establishment of this new command post is part of the U.S. military’s efforts to enhance cooperation with allied countries in the domain of space. Activities in Japan have reportedly already begun with a small team.

The Space Force and Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force held their first-ever space domain discussions at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in July.

Last year in November the U.S. military established the Indo-Pacific Space Force under its Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. A month later, the United States also created a Space Force unit within the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea.

During the Japan-U.S.-South Korea summit held in the United States last month, the three nations agreed to promote dialogue on space security. The establishment of this new command post shows their intention to further strengthen trilateral cooperation.