Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani. File photo: VCG

China firmly opposes Japan's attempt to find excuse to justify its own military buildup by hyping up so-called "threats" from other countries, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, after Japan's Defense Ministry on Monday released its first guidelines allegedly aimed at enhancing its defense in outer space, using so-called "killer satellites" developed by China and Russia as excuses.  

A Chinese expert said that Japan's rhetoric distorted the facts about China's peaceful space activities and unjustly smeared China on the topic of space development.

Asked to comment on the Japanese Ministry of Defense's first space defense guidelines issued on Monday, claiming that China and Russia have been advancing the development of "killer satellites," which are designed to neutralize the satellites of other countries, so Japan needs to enhance its defense in outer space, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that China has taken noted of relevant reports. "China is committed to the peaceful use of outer space, and opposes any arms race in outer space or weaponizing it. China actively strives for negotiations for legal instruments on space arms control, and calls for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity in outer space," Guo said. 

China firmly opposes Japan's attempt to create a pretext for its own military buildup by peddling the narrative of threats from other countries, Guo said.  

Japan's release of the "space domain defense guidelines" is a move claimed to "brace for increasing activities by China and Russia in the new domain of warfare," according to Japanese media outlet Kyodo News on Tuesday.

In the guidelines, the Japanese Defense Ministry asserted that some countries, including China and Russia, have been advancing the development of "killer satellites," which Japanese side claimed are designed to neutralize or destroy the space assets of other countries, according to Kyodo News.

The Japanese guidelines claimed that countries including China and Russia conducted tests on rendezvous and proximity operations of satellites, which the Japanese side claims contribute to the development of "killer satellites."

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military affairs expert, dismissed the Japanese claims as a hype of "China threat" rhetoric to promote Japan's militarization in outer space. He told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Japanese guideline deliberately misinterpreted China's normal, peaceful space activities.

There have been media reports suggesting China is developing in-orbit refueling and repair among other capabilities, which require close proximity operations between satellites. Scientific tests like these, if confirmed, could greatly extend a satellite's service life and enhance its economic value. It is wrong to label such a satellite as a "killer satellite" or assume weapon purposes simply because one satellite approaches another, Fu said. 

The Japanese guidelines further claimed that Japan's Self-Defense Force and Japanese private companies should boost defense capabilities of satellites. Japan also plans to boost its capabilities in detecting other countries' missile launches, securing satellite communications and jamming other countries' communications, Yomiuri Shimbun, another Japanese media outlet, reported on Tuesday.

In recent years, Japan has increased defense spending annually and moved further down the path of military expansion. In outer space, Japan, the U.S. and other Western countries have kept expanding military cooperation, and used "defense" as a pretext to develop and deploy space weapons. These measures threaten the security and stability of outer space, and trigger the concerns of neighboring countries on the reviving militarism, said Guo, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson. 

He further pointed out that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. 

We urge Japan to take a hard look at its responsibility for the war crimes, draw lessons from history, stop hiding its true intention of military buildup by acting as a scaremonger in the region and peddling the issues related to China, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions, Guo added.