Japan prepares for space race with China | Tokyo

Japan prepares for space race with China. By issuing its new Basic Plan on Space Policy on Jan. 9 and receiving assistance from the US, Japan is preparing itself to confront China's space program within the next 10 years, according to Tokyo's Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Japan on Dec. 3 last year launched an H-IIA rocket carrying an information gathering satellite from the Tanegashima Space Center located 115 kilometers south of Kyushu. Under the Basic Plan on Space Policy, Japan will invest more money to develop new satellites and rockets. This new plan aims to revive the nation's declining aerospace industry since China is now using its satellites and other types of weapon systems in space. The plan did not stress the country's principle of the peaceful use of space. Instead, it discussed the potential of using space technology as a means to defend national security. China's launching of satellites with the capability to capture other satellites in orbit has sent Japan and the United States an important message that space has become a potential battlefield in the future. Facing this challenge, the plan said that the nation must increase the number of its Quasi-Zenith Satellite Systems from one to seven by 2023. In addition, Japan plans to launch a space defense network consisting of three satellites. With the help of the US, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is looking to increasing the number of the nation's surveillance satellites as well, the report said.