 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
BMD Watch: Japan changes space policy
Washington (UPI) May 16, 2008 The Japanese Parliament Tuesday formally agreed to permit the deployment of space surveillance satellites as part of the country's ballistic missile defense program. As we noted earlier this month in these columns, that decision marks a highly important reversal of more than a half-century of Japanese policy refusing to contemplate taking any action to militarize space. The Diet, the lower and main house of the Japanese Parliament, formally approved the legislation that will remove exclusive control of space policy from the country's Technology, Space and Education ministries. Space policy will now be shaped by the entire Cabinet, the legislation says. Significantly, it also included a provision to set up a space policy task force that will report directly to the prime minister. Effectively, that will be the thriving center that shapes national space policy in the future with the education, space and technology ministries sidelined to provide only input. And with the whole Japanese Cabinet now designated by the legislation to carry the responsibility of making space policy collectively, the three old civilian ministries now will be outweighed by the heavy clout of Japan's Defense Ministry, which only last year was upgraded from agency status to having its own Cabinet minister. As expected, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda easily carried the legislation through the Diet, supported by its coalition ally Komeito and the main opposition group, Minshuto -- the Democratic Party. Only the Communists and some pacifist members of the Parliament voted against the legislation. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
US offer on missile defence unsatisfactory: Poland PM
Warsaw (AFP) May 13, 2008Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday said Washington's offers to boost his nation's security in exchange for hosting a controversial US missile shield were unsatisfactory. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook