NATO and Japan Weigh Joint Use of Satellite Launch Sites
NATO and Japan are discussing joint use of satellite launch sites for military communications payloads, Nikkei reports. The talks reflect the alliance's deepening Indo-Pacific footprint and Tokyo's accelerating defence buildup.
A NATO delegation and Japan's defence ministry have discussed the possibility of allied military communications satellites being launched from Japanese sites. According to Nikkei, the talks centred on Tanegashima and Uchinoura functioning as redundancy options at a moment when European launch capacity is stretched.
The discussions are described as one of the most concrete strands of the bilateral Individually Tailored Partnership Programme that NATO signed with Tokyo in 2023. Mapping and intelligence-gathering satellites as well as early-warning scenarios are on the agenda. Beijing has already pushed back, framing the move as an expansion of NATO's footprint in the Asia-Pacific.
Prime Minister Ishiba is positioning space security cooperation with NATO as a load-bearing part of Japan's wider defence buildup. If a formal agreement materialises, Japanese defence contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and IHI could open a new supply corridor toward Europe's defence-satellite industry.
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