Japan Launches New ASDF Group for Outer Space Security

Tokyo, March 18 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Defense Ministry held a ceremony Friday marking the establishment of a new Air Self-Defense Force group dedicated to security in outer space.

The new Space Operations Group has about 70 members. It comprises the Space Operations Squadron, which monitors the locations and orbits of Japanese satellites, and a new command and control unit.

The launch preceded the planned start of operations for a new space monitoring system slated for fiscal 2023.

The defense of satellites, crucial to communications, is becoming a pressing issue as neighboring countries are developing weapons to attack satellites and jam communications.

"We will improve our abilities and devote ourselves to our duties for the stable use of outer space," Col. Kazuki Tamai, commander of the group, said at the ceremony at the ASDF's Fuchu base in the suburbs of Tokyo.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]