Japan to Establish "Aerospace Self-Defense Force," Military Expansion Raises Concerns

On June 26, Xinhua News Agency reported from Tokyo (reporters Li Ziyue and Liang Chen) that the Japanese Diet's House of Councillors voted in the morning to pass the amendment to the "Ministry of Defense Establishment Act" and other bills, deciding to reorganize the Air Self-Defense Force into the "Aerospace Self-Defense Force." As the related bills were passed by the House of Representatives at the end of April, their approval in the House of Councillors means that the bills are officially established. This move has further triggered concerns in Japanese public opinion.

According to the bill, the "Aerospace Self-Defense Force" will be established by 2026, and a new "Space Operations Group" will be created, led by the highest-ranking officer of the Air Self-Defense Force, specifically responsible for the space domain, thereby advancing satellite launches and enhancing monitoring capabilities of the space situation.

In addition, the vote also passed bills regarding improving the treatment of retired Self-Defense Force personnel and strengthening the deployment of the Ground Self-Defense Force in Okinawa.

The aforementioned developments continue to raise concerns in Japanese public opinion. The Aichi Prefectural Peace Committee posted on social media that this amendment expands the military domain into space for the purpose of attacking other countries, stating, "We firmly oppose this! It will only lead Japan towards military expansion, exacerbate confrontation, and invite war."

On the 25th, Mizuho Fukushima, the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Japan, also expressed concerns to the government in the Diet regarding related issues, stating that under the circumstances where the basic issues such as the scope of exercising collective self-defense rights have not been clarified and the relevant definitions remain vague, the government takes "space defense" for granted and continues to advance related discussions, which is problematic.

Recently, in addition to strengthening military deployments in various locations, Japan has frequently paved the way for further strengthening its so-called "defense capabilities" by formulating and revising related bills and policy documents. These developments have led to a continuous rise in concerns within Japan.