TOKYO -- The Japanese government is moving toward participating for the first time in American-led defense exercises that ready against satellite jamming and other threats in the space domain. 

The U.K. and a number of other countries have in recent years taken part in the Schriever Wargame, held by agencies including the U.S. Air Force Space Command.

A Japanese government advisory panel submitted on Friday recommendations for a national space policy plan, including participation by the Self-Defense Forces in the 2018 exercises. A task force led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will approve the plan within the year.

Other proposals include participation in international efforts to explore the moon and Mars. Japan would aid the U.S. in its plans for an orbiting lunar space station in the late 2020s. Separately, businesses would get free access to Earth image data generated by Japan's Daichi and Daichi-2 mapping satellites.

Quelle: Asian Review