"Peaceful Uses" of Outer Space and Japan' s Space Policy

Space development and utilization must be conducted within a framework of "peaceful uses" principle under Space Treaty. Japan ratified the treaty in 1967, and interpreted "peaceful uses" as "non-military uses" then. A ghost of "peaceful uses" principle has been hung over Japan up to the moment. Japan's space development and utilization has been conducted with genuine academic interest, and therefore Japan did not introduce space infrastructures to national security policy and did not facilitate growth of space industry. When the Cold War ended, Northeast Asian security environment makes Japan difficult to maintain an interpretation as "non-military uses". Besides the change of external security environment, the domestic industry situation and a series of rocket launching failure needed reexamination of Japan's space policy. Japan is gradually changing its space policy, and introducing space infrastructure in a national security policy under a "generalization" theory that gave a broad interpretation of "peaceful uses" principle. Council for Science and Technology Policy (CSTP) adopted a basic strategy of Japan's space policy in 2004. Since then, a long-term report of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), an investigation report of Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC) and a proposal of Japan Business Federation (JSF) were followed. Japan will promote space development and utilization in national security policy with a "strictly defensive defense" strategy and "non-aggressive uses"principle for protection of life and property of Japanese people and stabilization of East Asian countries.