Defense & Security

Japan’s Defense Ministry to Launch New Division to Boost Space Security Amid Development of Satellite Killers

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Defense Ministry head office in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, December 19, 2025

The Defense Ministry intends to establish a new division to oversee space affairs next fiscal year with an eye to comprehensively enhancing the nation’s space defense capabilities, according to government and ruling party sources.

The ministry plans to assign 10 to several dozen staff, including a counselor, to the new division, which would be part of the Bureau of Defense Buildup Planning, the sources said. Related expenses are expected to be included in next fiscal year’s initial budget proposal.

Currently, the ministry’s space-related matters are divided between the Bureau of Defense Buildup Planning, which handles equipment procurement, and the Bureau of Defense Policy, which is responsible for policy formulation. These operations will be consolidated in the new division, with a new chief-level post to be set up. The ministry aims to improve operational efficiency by allowing the new division to take a holistic approach to handling space matters while focusing on developing specialized personnel.

Meanwhile, the ministry has already decided to rename the Air Self-Defense Force the “Air and Space Self-Defense Force” in fiscal 2026. Additionally, the ASDF’s Space Operations Group, which consists of about 310 members and is responsible for space surveillance, is to be upgraded to have about 670 personnel by the end of this fiscal year. The plan then is to upgrade the group further, with about 880 personnel ultimately eyed. The initial budget proposal for fiscal 2026 will also include funding for these initiatives.

Alongside strengthening the SDF’s space capabilities, the ministry plans to set up a specialized division in its policy-making bureau to facilitate coordination.

Space is growing in importance as an area of security. Satellites have become essential for reconnaissance and inter-unit communications, and China and Russia have stepped up their efforts to develop satellite killers — weapons designed to attack satellites and disrupt space systems. The ministry is therefore stepping up efforts to strengthen its space defense capabilities.