The guidance recently established in America a new, sixth branch of the armed forces — Space forces, however, military operations in space, based on the fact that China and Russia are increasing their military presence and military capabilities in space, more counts on effective cooperation with Japan and other allies. Japan is also seriously considering security issues in space and ready to engage with America in this field. In 2008, Japan enacted the fundamental law of the cosmos, and in may of this year, the Japanese self-defense forces established a separate division — a team of space operations. However, it is important to recognize that the government of Japan continue intensive consultation on issues about the extent of possible military use of outer space and related international legal issues.
In an exclusive interview to the newspaper “Asahi Shimbun” Space commander of US forces General John Raymond put it unequivocally: “the Space has been turned into a theatre of hostilities”. As one of the most urgent tasks Raymond called security American commercial and military satellites from potential attacks by Chinese and Russian weapons and space debris. In this context, in the first place of importance in space are put forward now monitoring tasks. China and Russia is currently rapidly developing missiles against satellites. According to him, only in April this year the us Space force was tracking the Russian missiles tests of killer satellites. “This is one example of increasing Russian threat to America and our allies. Russia is stepping up its strike capabilities in space.”
In these circumstances, the deepening of us-Japan cooperation in the sphere of ensuring the security of outer space. Japan has long cooperated with the Us Agency for space research (NASA) in manned space flight. Taking the basic space law, Japan has joined the us projects military space. Currently we are talking about the interaction between Cosmic forces and the cosmic unit self-defense forces of Japan at the level of individual units.
Now between the U.S. and Japan operates the satellites of the Japanese aerospace exploration Agency (JAXA), equipped with a sensitive radar and sharing the information received. Have in mind that with completion in 2023, plans full deployment of ground-based radar system self-defense forces of Japan will play a much more prominent role in the space surveillance network the United States. It is assumed that in the year quasicentral orbit will be launched Japanese satellite geolocation “Michibiki” (“clue”) with American high-sensitivity sensors. Military experts call this future event the “new stage in creation of the us-Japan monitoring of near-earth and outer space”.
Ambitious plans are being built in the area of missile defence with the use of outer space. Developed and already produced in China and Russia supersonic missiles flying at speeds up to 5 Mach, and difficult to detect with existing tools. In this regard, the U.S. plan to significantly increase warning system ABOUT through the placement in space of a large number of miniature satellites. Adopted in late June of this year the Japanese government basic plan for space works too, it says in cooperation with the US launch of small satellites and improving the efficiency of detection and tracking of enemy missiles. Japan, which until then depended entirely on the American early-detection tools currently embarking on intensive implement their programs, use infrared sensors to locate the flying missiles by the heat trail.
The concern of scientists
However, the world community is seriously concerned about U.S. plans for U.S. military use of outer space. Well-known American non-governmental organization “Union of concerned scientists” opposed the creation of the trump Space forces of the United States, saying that “the uncontrolled development of space weapons can go into a wild race that will jeopardize the existence of the surrounding Land space. We demand that now talking not narrow-minded bureaucrats, and diplomats is widely thinking”.
Development of norms of behaviour of the States of the planet in outer space is facing serious difficulties. In 2008 the European Union proposed a set of rules that would require all countries of the rejection of destructive actions in space. America, Japan and some other countries supported it. However, they are unable to overcome the negative attitude of China and Russia to these proposals. On the other hand, in 2008, China and Russia invited the Conference on disarmament in Geneva to sign an international Treaty on the control of placement of weapons in outer space. However, the United States and Western countries have met the proposal with hostility. Such is the acuteness of the confrontation between opposite poles of the world in the matter of the military use of space.
Chief researcher, Institute for defence studies of the Ministry of defense of Japan the Fukushima Division says, “Now the main question is how and in what specific forms and amounts of interaction will exist between the units of the comic forces of the United States and Japan. Because until now in international law there is no recognition of outer space as a possible theater of military operations. Study the international legal aspects of military operations in space, even on the merits has not begun. I think that America, and Japan, like other countries, still a lot of work in studying these problems.”
