TOKYO - Japan's parliament on Friday enacted legislation to reorganize and rename the Air Self-Defense Force, adding "space" to its official name as part of a broader effort to strengthen the country's space defense 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.
Approved in a House of Councillors vote, the legislation also authorizes the appointment of a second senior vice defense minister, a move aimed at easing the workload during contingencies and major natural disasters while expanding high-level defense exchanges with the United States and other security partners.
Defense 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-Defense 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-Defense Force's 15th Brigade, based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, to a full division as Japan strengthens defenses in its southwestern remote islands due in part to China's maritime assertiveness.
