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© 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Japan launches new unit to step up defense in outer space
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
54 Comments
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Yubaru
How appropriate! Right after the world's leading space cadet gets his flag, they made one here too!
kurisupisu
Space Defense?
No country owns space.
Taking nationalistic pretenses into space will only lead to conflict.
Ken
Why take conflict to space?Find peace right here in our daily lives and no need to waste money on expensive and egoistic ventures leading to nowhere.
There are people right here in Japan who earn about 1000 per hr and some even less than that.If this is not poverty,tell me what it is.Deal with reality on the ground.
Mirai Hayashi
Here we go with the star wars defense system again. Hey, here's an idea: Why don't we spend our tax payer money on our people and help those who are suffering during this pandemic!
yoshisan88
Do they have Gundams or those transforming fighter jets from the Macross animes?
Kaori Takamura
I hope it protects our personal space on the train.
zatoizugoodo
This may be the boost we need for space exploration. I just wish it wasn't the military getting the ball rolling.
dbsaiya
Aah, the caddie does as the boss. Hope these guys can get it together better than the Abenomasks.
Kobe White Bar Owner
No Star Wars!
gogogo
Japan is straight up copying the US.... next a super dooper missile?
Jay Balonque
Get ready for bankruptcy!
OssanAmerica
A massive poster intelligence failure here. Space Defense is to protect a county from attack on it's satellites. Everyone forget that China recently test fired and shot down one of their old satellites? The ability to take down another country's communications and GPS systems is a real threat today and major nations are already all onboard. As far as "militarizing space" is concerned, all nations do it covertly, except for China which does it overtly. And for those who think an alien invasion is comming, yes, it will probably help there too..lol.
hotelstar
China has had satellite destroying/ interfering technology for years. I assume that means other countries have it too. "We must adapt to the new security environment", rightfully said. Japan is just trying to keep up with what other countries are investing in heavily behind the scenes. A space arms race.
What WE all, the people of every country, must fight for is universal peace, understanding and equality. There is no US and THEM. We all share this planet and its environment. There needs to be a fundamental shift of financial and human resources to accommodate EVERYONE or no one will be happy.
Definitely need to stop being slaves to the 1%. Life is beautiful, let's start living it instead of trying to survive it.
serendipitous1
Hmm, really well thought out! When they have to send out an SOS, everyone will think it's just a regular Space Operations Squadron message!!
Boy Next Door
Come to your senses. Step up your defenses against the real threat which is China.
sensei258
Will they also have an Insignia that looks coincidentally like the communicators from Star Trek?
WilliB
kurisupisu:
But that is happening anyway, if you like it or not. Right now, one of the bigger problems seems to be the cloud of debris left over by Chinese satellite destruction trials.
Military satellites are a reality, space-based things like GPS are a reality, and various plans to take out each others systems in space are a reality. Sticking your head in the sand does not make that go away.
borscht
How many Japanese satellites have been shot down over the past, oh, 50 years?
Zeram1
Um, perhaps the government should be focusing on the fact that people are dying on the streets of Tokyo due to covid instead? But then again, doing the Trump "shake a shiny toy" thing to distract the nation from reality will work in the meantime.
indigo
a new joke to take your TAX and to manipulate you more. Can I make a Team to protect the country against political escrows?
Dan Lavender
got money for this trollop but still waiting for my ¥100,000!!!and two shabby masks!
what a waste of tax ---again!!!
Nobu1
Mr. Abe doesn't seem to get tired of copying US when it's secluded from the world.
rgcivilian1
Ok 2 comments: 1. We can't even get along on earth and find peace around the world without conflicts, so what makes any government think it will find them their? 2. When or is the expected alien invasion arriving, because if this is the case, unless they know of the advanced tech brought to get them here from out there, we have lost.
Hello Kitty 321
@ OssanAmerica
The USA shot down a satellite in 1985 and also threatened to shoot down the EU's Galileo navigation satellites whereas China has not threatened anyone.
The Avenger
To insanity and beyond!
No. DO NOT weaponize space. That is where we actually work together for humanities common interest.
One tiny little war in space will create so much debris it will take out everybody's satellites, The ISS and set us back decades. Forget your cell phones, your GPS, Satellite TV and every other thing that space does for us. They will be gone permanently.
There will be so much space junk with the ability to cause so much damage we will not be going out there again.
We have NASA. NASA's goal is peaceful space exploration. What is Space Force for other than to destroy everything NASA stands for and has achieved by weaponizing something that doesn't and shouldn't be weaponized.
sf2k
weaponizing the vastness of space is quite ludicrous.
smithinjapan
And once again, Abe and Co. jumping at the heels of Trump's lunacy and trying to please their master. How utterly embarrassing for Japan.
Mirai Hayashi
Hey Japan, the 1980's called to say that Ronald Reagan wants his Star Wars playbook back.
Jonathan Prin
S.O.S, is that a joke ?
Jalapeno
Money well spent. So many legit threats out there, like the Borg, Klingons, Cylons, First Order, Second Order...
Viktor Cernatinskij
Wow! Japanese government and other governments cannot handle the mess on planet Earth, now they want to mess also there outer space!!!...
Michael Machida
Let me get this straight. Japan can Launch a Space Defense program but cannot arrange for ¥100000 subsidy to its citizens in a quick manner and without any hesitation?
Am I understanding this right?
Blacklabel
Yeah and it was supposedly sooooo ridiculous when the USA did it first. Yet here we are now.
smithinjapan
Blacklabel: "Yeah and it was supposedly sooooo ridiculous when the USA did it first. Yet here we are now."
Still is ridiculous, but it's cute how you use Japan once again copying their masters as an attempt to show it NOT being ridiculous for Trump to create such a Super Duper thing. Classic!
Speed
I couldn't care less about space.
kurisupisu
By the time the threat is recognized, it will already be here anyway.
TARA TAN KITAOKA
Space, when U cannot even protect Japan ???on earth ???.
OssanAmerica
Well how many times has Japan been at war in the past 50 years? Duh.
BakabonPapa
If there is intelligent life out there, we probably look pretty stupid to them.
smithinjapan
OssanAmerica: "Well how many times has Japan been at war in the past 50 years? Duh."
You're right -- Japan's pacifist Constitution has served it well. You, however, seem to want Japan to gear up and satellites get shot down, instead of them not being at war, and nothing being blown up.
indigo
Do not forget , all space programs are money black hole, be prepared to be well taxed.
Kono want to negotiate and escape with Alien under our names??? go back to your planet at first to listen the angry citizend!
WilliB
borsht:
Unless I missed somthing, there has been no shooting war among the nations operating satellites. So what is your question about?
WilliB
smithjapan:
Irrelevant. The debris clusters from Chinese weapons tests zapping around in space are a reality, and so is dealing with that reality. Whatever label you slap on the organization that deals with that does not matter.
If "Space Operations Squadron" upsets you, lets just call it "Smithjapan Not Happy". Better?
Blacklabel
Yep it’s all cute until China is the only one in space so they decide they can sprinkle coronavirus or something else down onto your country from space because you can’t do anything about it.
Peeping_Tom
"Still is ridiculous, but it's cute how you use Japan once again copying their masters"
Someone is jealous that his country is so useless NOBODY wants it, even as a servant.
At least someone wants to "lord" over Japan; shows they have some residual value. Also a massive potential to cause damage to others, if left alone.
The complainant's country on the other hand can only (VERY) successfully threaten the baby seals.
Xeno Man
Another waste of taxpayer money.