TOKYO: The Japanese and US governments are planning to apply the Japan-US security treaty’s Article 5, which stipulates the United States’ defense obligations to Japan, to attacks in space, Japanese officials said Tuesday.

The two governments aim to include the expansion of the US defense obligations in an outcome document to be adopted at a “two-plus-two” meeting of their foreign and defense ministers in Washington on Wednesday local time.

There is no concept of national borders in space. But Japan and the United States will recognize that satellites owned by Japan are under the country’s administration, according to the sources.

The two countries apparently hope to enhance their deterrent power by clearly stating that they will work together to respond to possible attacks by other countries in space.

Behind the Japan-US move are increasing attempts by China and Russia to use space for military purposes.

As China and Russia are believed to be developing so-called killer satellites, Japan and the United States are stepping up their vigilance against this as a new security risk.

Also at the upcoming two-plus-two meeting, the US side is expected to announce a plan to realign US Marines stationed in the southern Japan prefecture of Okinawa and create a Marine Littoral Regiment for the defense of remote islands.

The MLR is expected to be equipped with anti-ship missiles and deploy troops in remote islands in the event of an emergency to block activities by enemy vessels from the ground.

Meanwhile, the Japanese side plans to explain last month’s revisions to its three key national security documents for the possession of counterstrike capabilities and the envisaged increase in defense spending.

The two-plus-two meeting is also expected to underscore plans to strengthen the deterrent and responsive powers of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and the US military.

JIJI Press