The Space Wars Begin
Many nations are planning for war in space. Long term military strategies for all the world's powers naturally include launching satellites and other platforms into space to increase spying capabilities, and to eventually lock weapons into orbit that can take out people, vehicles, towns and cities on earth, along with enemy satellites and weapons platforms.
China, Russia, the United States, all have their eyes on dominating near space in the decades to come, at least directly over their own territories, and allies, and while China has been vocal in its opposition to the weaponisation of space, it too, like the United States, is planning for the day when armies are obsolete, and destruction can be wrought on the enemy from 20 miles above the planet. They're all planning, and testing, but none want to be the first to officially announce that space is the new frontier for war-fighting.
But now Japan has decided it's time to get serious about increasing its military capability into space, and has given an official start to what presumably will become known as the 'Space Wars', should the world's nations history of violence and confrontation continue in this new domain, as it has on the lands below.
Japan passed a law on Wednesday allowing military use of space, ending a decades-old pacifist policy as it casts a wary eye on North Korea's nuclear ambitions and China's rising spending on its armed forces.Space security. The US will soon follow in announcing its own new 'Space Security' military plans, which will be in sync with Japan. Presumably, Russia and China will then make clear that they, too, are working on joint space defense systems to ensure their own 'Space Security.'The law, which allows the military to launch its own satellites for spying and warn of missile launches but rules out offensive weapons in space, was approved by parliament's opposition-controlled upper house, a sign of rare consensus in Japan's divided political arena.
Japan's space scientists and industry have long complained that the separation of space development from the military since 1969 hampers technological process in the sector.
Japan's powerful Keidanren business lobby had pushed for the law along with a relaxation of the country's ban on arms exports in order to help the nation's defence industry compete globally.
"The key point is that rather than just focusing on research and development like before, this new law will balance R&D, the industry, and security," Satoshi Tsuzukibashi, a director at one of Keidanren's industrial affairs bureau, said.
"In the future, there will be more satellites and rockets used for space security, so that is a positive factor for the space industry," he added.
The legislation mandates the creation of a new cabinet level post to oversee Japan's space security, a move that could help pry more funding out of tight-fisted finance bureaucrats worried about the nation's bulging public debt.
