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  • In Defense of Japan: From the Market to the Military in Space Policy by Saadia M. Pekkanen, Paul Kallender-Umezu
  • Thomas U. Berger (bio)
In Defense of Japan: From the Market to the Military in Space Policy. By Saadia M. Pekkanen and Paul Kallender-Umezu. Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2010. xxviii, 377 pages. $55.00, cloth; $55.00, E-book.

Saadia Pekkanen and Paul Kallender-Umezu have written a detailed and valuable new study on an important and underresearched topic, the evolution of Japan’s policy regarding the utilization of space. The question they [End Page 495] pose at the start of their inquiry is an interesting one, namely, why has Japan developed a highly sophisticated, indigenous space industry despite repeated commercial failures and uncertainty about the scientific value of doing so? Their answer is that the underlying motive for developing a space industry has moved over time from originally trying to produce solely for the civil market to more and more exclusively developing technology that has military applications. Pekkanen and Kallender-Umezu call this trend the move from “the market-to-the-military.”

Behind this development is not so much a change in the international system, as adherents of realism would have it, nor is it based on a well-thought-out national strategy. Rather, the authors essentially make a political economy argument that the move from the market to the military has emerged gradually as the result of the actions of a broad array of actors, both bureaucratic and corporate, seeking to pursue their economic and institutional interests. Unable to make a profit in the private sector, these actors have been intent on protecting their investment in the space industry and technology by emphasizing the significance of space for Japan’s national security.

As a result, Japan today has one of the most sophisticated space industries in the world. Because of the dual-use nature of space technology—rockets that launch satellites can easily be used to deliver explosive payloads, satellites that can track weather and traffic conditions can also be used to monitor enemy troop movements—Japan has a far greater military capability than it is often credited with having. The authors go so far as to state that “Japan’s military posture has not been this robust since before the Pacific War” (p. 4), a statement that many Japanese, who feel beleaguered by China’s assertiveness in the East China Sea, might find a bit puzzling.

Nonetheless, Pekkanen and Kallender-Umezu document their claims in careful detail. They first trace the evolution of Japanese policy on space over the last half-century, from the creation of the National Space Agency (NASDA) in 1969 to the Basic Space Plan of 2009. They show how gradually the pacifist ideals evident in early legislation have been displaced by an increasingly expansive definition of the “peaceful use of space” that includes recognition of the national security implications of having an indigenous space industry. They then examine the role of the key bureaucratic and corporate players shaping Japanese space policy, including the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Defense, as well as major business concerns such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC, Toshiba, and others. Finally, they spend three chapters looking concretely at the kinds of space capabilities Japan has developed, including launch vehicles such as the H-II and H-II A rockets, satellites and support systems, and various emerging technologies. In their concluding chapter, [End Page 496] they provide a useful comparison of the state of the Japanese space industry and its potential military capabilities with those of other major powers such as Russia, China, and the United States.

The empirical research undertaken by Pekkanen and Kallender-Umezu is original, broad, and genuinely impressive. They have put together an invaluable guide for anyone interested in the Japanese space industry, the first one available in the English language. Inevitably, there are gaps. For instance, many might want to know more about what arguably has in recent years been the most visible part of the Japanese space program—its scientific research efforts, which have marked some...

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