Bill approving “Space Force” military branch moves forward in Japan’s parliament
Japan comes closer to establishing their own Space Force, but no plans for mecha in sight so far.
For the majority of countries, activities concerning outer space are primarily under the jurisdiction of an air force branch. However, only a few months ago, amidst controversy the U.S. added a Space Force branch to its military.
And now another nation will soon join the ranks of potential space camaraderie: Japan.
▼ Following up previous findings, the name of the branch has surfaced as Space Domain Mission Unit.
Aside from the United States, Japan isn’t the first country to incorporate a new Space Force-esque branch. Russia had its own “Space Force” for a stint in the 90s and 2000s, and France has considered a pan-European, space-focused alliance.
But in Japan’s case, as a country that pioneered science-fiction depictions of space travel and innovation, of course we can’t help but ask: what does the Japanese Space Domain Mission Unit do?
▼ A few eager Twitter users compared it to anime classics such as Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise in the wake of the announcement
Unfortunately, reading the fine print, the Space Domain Mission Unit does not entail operations such as launching mecha into outer space. Following Japan’s policies of anti-aggression, the new Space Domain Mission Unit will focus on tasks such as handling cyber security, satellite monitoring, and cleaning up space debris.
Compared to the United State’s Space Force, which consists of 16,000 personnel, Japan’s Space Domain Mission Unit will only have 20 staff total in mid-2020. The number of personnel is expected to increase to 100 individuals in the near future.
Japanese social media had mixed reactions to the progression of the new bill:
“We finally get our version of Star Wars, huh.”
“Only 100? Isn’t that a little too low?”
“Is this the newest EDF release? (EDF, Earth Defense Force, is a third-person shooter game where players defend against alien invasion.)”
“Instead of making a space force, shouldn’t we straighten out our current government first?”
While there has been no further word as to what the new Japanese Space Domain Mission Unit uniform will look like, we look forward to seeing the ventures a U.S. and Japan space-partnership will take, as well as future members of the Space Domain Mission Unit joining their fellow comrades on the catwalk.
Source: Livedoor News via My Game News Flash
Featured, top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Wikimedia Commons/@Marine Cpl. Ashleigh Bryant
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