Japan Approves Air Force Reorganisation To Boost Space Defence

TOKYO, June 26 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japan's parliament on Friday enacted legislation to reorganise and rename the Air Self-Defence Force, adding "space" to its official name as part of a broader effort to strengthen the country's space defence capabilities amid a rapidly changing security environment.

The restructured unit, to be launched during the fiscal year ending March 2027, will establish a space operations group under the command of a lieutenant general to improve space domain awareness and satellite surveillance capabilities, Kyodo News reported.

Approved in a House of Councillors vote, the legislation also authorises the appointment of a second senior vice defence minister, a move aimed at easing the workload during contingencies and major natural disasters while expanding high-level defence exchanges with the United States and other security partners.

Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said the growing importance of space extends well beyond national security.

"People's daily lives can no longer function without the use of space," Koizumi told a news conference, citing satellite navigation systems, smartphone map applications and weather forecasting.

He said the government would steadily build the institutional framework needed for the Self-Defence Forces to carry out their missions effectively.

The additional senior vice minister is expected to be appointed as early as this summer.

As part of efforts to improve recruitment and retention that have become an increasing challenge for the SDF, the legislation also raises post-retirement benefits for SDF members, whose mandatory retirement ages vary by rank and are typically earlier than standard civil service roles.

The legislation also upgrades the Ground Self-Defence Force's 15th Brigade, based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, to a full division as Japan strengthens defences in its southwestern remote islands due in part to China's maritime assertiveness.

-- BERNAMA-KYODO