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The Yomiuri Shimbun Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Hiromasa Nakano speaks to crew members of the Yaeyama, a Japan Coast Guard vessel that patrols around the Senkaku Islands, in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, in February.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
16:13 JST, March 25, 2025
The Japan Coast Guard in March began using high-speed communications via Starlink in its 12 large patrol vessels, according to sources.
Starlink is a satellite communications network developed by U.S. space company SpaceX.
The system will be used in conjunction with conventional satellite links to enhance communication capabilities in emergencies and to provide a high-speed internet environment to attract new personnel. The coast guard plans to install similar equipment in all of its approximately 90 large patrol and survey vessels by fiscal 2032 at the latest.
Starlink is a type of satellite constellation that links a large number of small satellites in low orbit at an altitude of about 550 kilometers. It is capable of providing high-speed communications even in mountainous areas and distant seas. The Ukrainian military has been using Starlink since immediately after Russia’s aggression.
The coast guard has been operating patrol vessels using some geostationary satellites at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. However, it has been pointed out that there is a risk that the coast guard’s satellite communications may be forced to cease functioning in the event of an emergency, due to attacks such as radio jamming and attempts to destroy the satellites. But in the satellite constellation, even if some satellites are attacked, the remaining satellites will help maintain functionality.
The JCG also considers the introduction of high-speed communications as a way to improve the work environment. Its crew members often have to spend 10 days or more at sea on missions such as guarding territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa and overseas deployments. Crew members could only use text-based email before, but on ships equipped with Starlink, they can use private smartphones to connect to social media and make video calls.
The coast guard limits the use of such services to off-duty hours and is taking measures to make crew members be careful in handling work-related information.
“While the population of 18-year-olds declines, we’ll utilize the system to secure personnel and prevent job turnover for a generation for whom constant internet access is the norm,” said a senior JCG officer.
