Chinese Defense Ministry criticizes Japan's space militarization as genuine threat

A Chinese defense ministry spokesman on Thursday criticized Japan's moves to weaponize space and fuel a space arms race, warning that the country's growing neo-militarism has become a genuine threat.

Chen Xi, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks during an online news briefing, saying that Japan has, in recent years, openly designated space as an operational domain and has demonstrated its ambition to expand its military capabilities in space.

According to media reports, the upper house of Japan's parliament passed a bill on June 26 to rename the Japan Air Self-Defense Force as the Japan Aerospace Self-Defense Force and establish the Space Operations Wing, a specialized unit responsible for space operations.

Chen said Japan's military spending in space-related fields has increased tenfold over the past five years, while its space operational forces have expanded by more than 30 times during the same period.

"These moves have accelerated the weaponization and militarization of space and fueled a space arms race," he said, adding that they demonstrate that Japan's neo-militarism has become a genuine threat.

Emphasizing that lasting peace and security in outer space are vital to the security, development and prosperity of all countries, Chen called on peace-loving people around the world to remain highly vigilant against Japan's dangerous actions in space and to resolutely oppose the accelerated remilitarization driven by right-wing forces in the country, in order to safeguard humanity's shared home.