The establishment on Wednesday comes amid growing concerns over space-related activities from North Korea, Russia, and China, with the unit set to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Japanese space operations.
"U.S. Space Forces Japan will serve as the focal point for deepening collaboration and synchronization between the United States and Japan in national security," Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, commander of U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, said during the activation ceremony.
As part of the initiative, Japanese satellites will host U.S. space sensors for data collection and intelligence gathering, following an agreement between Japanese Defense Minister Gen. Nakatani and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during their recent meeting in Australia.
The development follows the activation of a similar unit in South Korea in December in 2022, reinforcing the U.S. space presence among its key Asian allies.
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