Abe says the new unit will protect Japan from the threat of space technology

TOKYO – Japan’s prime minister said Monday that his country would form a spacecraft Defense Rivals The unit and the new unit will work closely with the American rival, recently introduced by President Donald Trump, to protect themselves from potential threats posed by the development of missiles and other technologies.

The space domain mission unit will launch in April as part of Japan’s Air Shelf.Defense Force, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a policy speech at the beginning of the year’s parliamentary session.

He said Japan also needs to protect itself from cyberspace threats and electromagnetic interference against Japanese satellites. Concerns are growing that China and Russia are looking for ways to interfere, deactivate or destroy satellites.

“We will greatly strengthen capacity and systems to secure excellence in those areas,” Abe said.

The space unit will be attached to an existing air base in Fuchs, a suburb west of Tokyo, where about 20 people will be deployed before a full launch in 2022. The role of the space unit is to manage satellite-based navigation and communications. For other soldiers on the field, not on the ground.

Aber’s cabinet approved a budget of 50.6 billion yen ($ 460 million) in December for space-related projects, awaiting parliamentary approval.

The unit will To cooperate With the U.S. Space Command, which Trump founded in August, as well as Japan’s space exploration agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Abe pushes for Japan’s self-Defense Force him to expand his international role and capabilities Collaboration And weapons alignment with the United States, because it increasingly works alongside American troops, and it becomes concerned about the growing capabilities of China and North Korea.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Japan-US Security Agreement, Abe pledged to increase Japan’s capabilities. Collaboration With the United States, including the areas of space and cyber security.

As a sign of Japan’s recent strained relations with South Korea, Abe said he had planned To cooperate The country and the United States are working closely together to address the harsh security environment in Northeast Asia.

He called South Korea “the most important thing” in his country NeighborHe used a paradigm shift until their relationship deteriorated rapidly over the past two years due to wartime history and trade disputes.

Abe, however, reiterated his demand on Monday that South Korea resolve the issue of Korean compensation Workers Japan during the colonial rule of 1910-1945.

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo soured in late 2018 after a South Korean court ordered some Japanese companies to compensate Koreans. Workers For their brutal behavior before and during World War II. Japan maintains that all compensation issues were settled under a 1965 agreement that normalized relations.

Abe has said he is determined to end Japan’s “unfortunate past” with North Korea, as he hopes to “summarize” his country’s post-war legacy before his term expires.

He reiterated his intention to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without conditions demanded in the past – to resolve the decades-old problem of nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula and the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea.

While in office, Aber plans to achieve his long-cherished goal of amending Japan’s draft US constitution, which prohibits the use of force in international disputes. Despite Abe’s pressure, the lack of public interest and opposition’s attention to other controversial issues, such as Japan’s recent deployment of troops to the Middle East and dubious public record-keeping at Abe’s annual Cherry Blossom-philosophy party, are fading. .

___

The story has been revised to show that the full launch of the space unit will take place in 2022, not 2020.

___

https://www.twitter.com/mariyamaguchi Follow Marie Yamaguchi on Twitter

Marie Yamaguchi, Associated Press