In a significant departure from Japan's decades-old adherence to the nonmilitary use of space, the Diet passed a new law Wednesday allowing use of space for national security purposes, avoiding discussion on whether the law is valid under the war-renouncing Constitution.
While many lawmakers say Japan still holds to a "nonaggression" principle in space projects, pundits warn that in the face of China's growing military presence in space and North Korea's ballistic missile development, the law could inevitably take Japan's defense capabilities beyond constitutional restrictions.
The law permits Japan to use and develop space in ways that contribute to its national security, a sharp contrast with the past position that the use of space should be limited to peaceful purposes only.