Defense Ministry Publishes Space Advisory Board Details

This board is a mechanism established by the Ministry of Defense for soliciting views and conducting deliberations, against the backdrop of the National Security Strategy's goal of ensuring the safe and stable use of outer space and strengthening response capabilities in the space security field. Outer space is regarded as indispensable to economic and social activities, and the Ministry of Defense states that it must continuously incorporate technological changes advancing in the private sector when strengthening these capabilities.

The system's central role is to obtain candid views from experts in science and technology and security, centered on the space domain, and to organize policy challenges and technological trends. The responsible office is the Counselor for Space Affairs in the Bureau of Defense Planning, and the board operates on the basis of a notification from the Administrative Vice-Minister.

The members include experts affiliated with organizations such as JAXA, JST, NICT, the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, and Keio University. As of April 9, 2026, Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of JAXA, serves as chair.

Based on the National Security Strategy, the board is positioned as an initiative to strengthen response capabilities in the space security field, toward ensuring the safe and stable use of outer space, which is indispensable to economic and social activities, among other objectives.

The Ministry of Defense considers it essential to continuously incorporate the latest technological trends in the private sector to strengthen response capabilities. The board is a mechanism for hearing candid views from experts for this purpose.

The meetings are closed to the public, while summaries of the proceedings are generally published.

The topics for deliberation are challenges related to strengthening response capabilities in the space security field and the latest technological trends in various fields, centered on the space domain. Members are commissioned by the Director-General of the Bureau of Defense Planning from among experts in earth observation, satellite communications, science and technology including fields beyond space, security, and other areas.

The board has a chair, who is appointed by the Counselor for Space Affairs in the Bureau of Defense Planning. A member appointed by the chair serves as deputy chair and acts on the chair's behalf when the chair is absent. Members may be reappointed. When the chair or deputy chair determines that cooperation from relevant departments is necessary for deliberations, those departments respond by arranging attendance by relevant persons, providing materials, and taking other measures.

Members must not disclose secrets learned in the course of their duties, either while serving or after leaving their positions. The meetings themselves are closed to the public, while summaries of the proceedings are generally published. Administrative affairs are handled by the Counselor for Space Affairs in the Bureau of Defense Planning, and procedural details are determined by the chair or the Director-General of the Bureau of Defense Planning.

The first meeting addressed the Space Domain Defense Guidelines; the second, future efforts by the Ministry of Defense and the Japan Self-Defense Forces to strengthen defense capabilities in the space domain; and the third, comprehensive efforts supporting measures in the space domain, among other topics.

Meeting materials covered the direction of transformation in defense capabilities, the fiscal year 2026 space-related budget, a virtuous cycle between defense and the economy, strengthened cooperation with national research institutes and universities, defense innovation, and the latest trends in optical satellite communications.