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From Earth to Uchū: The Evolution of Japan’s Space Security Policy and a Blueprint for Strengthening the U.S.-Japan Space Security Partnership

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By Kari A. Bingen, Makena Young
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As Japan reckons with an increasingly tense security dynamic driven by growing Chinese and North Korean military activity and defense budgets, space capabilities are becoming integral to Japan’s national security. The U.S.-Japan security alliance continues to be at the core of both countries’ approaches to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific, with both seeking to deepen their cooperation across myriad national security areas, including in the space domain. Space is now a prominent agenda item in meetings between the U.S. president and Japanese prime minister, as well as several of their cabinet secretaries.

This report outlines the history of space programs in Japan and the country’s space capabilities, developments in space security after the 2008 Basic Space Law, international partnerships, regional space security observations, and alignment with the United States. It continues with a discussion of candidate areas to deepen or expand U.S.-Japan space security cooperation, including across missions and architectures, organizations, industrial and technology sectors, and within international forums. It also discusses potential barriers and limitations that need to be overcome to achieve greater cooperation.

The authors would like to thank Sumitomo Corporation for its support of the U.S.-Japan space cooperation project.

Aerospace

About the Authors

Kari A. Bingen is the director of the Aerospace Security Project and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She joined CSIS from HawkEye 360, an innovative space technology company creating a new class of radio frequency (RF) data and analytics, where she was the chief strategy officer. Prior to the private sector, Kari served as the deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, overseeing the defense intelligence and security enterprises, comprising more than 120,000 personnel and an annual budget of over $54 billion. Before that, Kari served as the policy director on the House Armed Services Committee and staff lead for its Strategic Forces Subcommittee, advising members of Congress on defense policy, program, and budget matters. Prior to entering government, Kari specialized in national security space issues, working with U.S. defense and intelligence community clients, first as a space systems analyst at SRA International’s Adroit C4ISR Center, and then as a senior space policy analyst at the Aerospace Corporation. In addition to her work at CSIS, Kari is an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University, was a commissioner on the CSIS Technology and Intelligence Task Force, and serves on a number of corporate and nonprofit advisory boards. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in aeronautics and astronautics.

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Makena Young is a fellow with the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where her research interests include international collaboration, space security, and orbital debris. Prior to joining CSIS, Ms. Young worked for the Federal Aviation Administration as an Aerospace Engineer, focusing on Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast certification and integration in small aircraft. She holds a B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University with minors in International Relations and Environmental Engineering.

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