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Sylvie Zhuang

China’s military mouthpiece aimed its rhetoric at Japan’s space ambitions and its new intelligence unit on Thursday, accusing Tokyo of embarking on a space arms race and undermining regional security.
The criticism in two articles in the PLA Daily is the latest salvo in a diplomatic dust-up over the past month that has involved near-daily rebukes from Beijing.
In one of the articles, two researchers from the People’s Liberation Army’s Space Engineering University in Beijing accused Japan of seeking to militarise space.
“Japan’s accelerated push towards the militarisation of space, through a series of continuous actions, not only departs from its pacifist constitution but also undermines regional and global space security,” the researchers wrote.
“[It will] disrupt the regional strategic balance, trigger a space arms race … and compel neighbouring countries to strengthen countermeasures.”


Japan has ramped up its space activities in recent years in response to what it sees as a growing threat from China and Russia.
In July, it unveiled its first guidelines to strengthen its defences in space, outlining plans to protect Japanese satellites and promote private-public cooperation in the technology.
Japan also plans to upgrade its Space Operations Group – which monitors space activities – to a full corps and rebadge it as the “Japan Air and Space Self-Defence Force” by 2027.
In a visit to the group’s Fuchu base in Tokyo’s suburbs earlier this month, Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi accused “some countries” of interfering with international satellites to disrupt mobile phone, GPS and vehicle navigation systems.
“Ensuring the peaceful and stable use of outer space is therefore critically important not only for military purposes but also for civilian life,” Koizumi said, according to Japan’s defence ministry.
But in the PLA Daily article on Thursday, the Chinese researchers said Japan “is paving the way for the militarisation of space through technological disguise and conceptual confusion”.
“It has for a long time used civilian space programmes as a cover to accumulate a foundation of military technology,” the researchers wrote.


A separate article on Thursday targeted Japan’s plans to establish a national intelligence bureau, saying it represented “a further expansion of Japan’s security policy”.
Under the plans announced last week, Tokyo will set up the bureau as early as July 2026 by upgrading the existing Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office and consolidating information gathered by the intelligence divisions of various government bodies.
The PLA article said the creation of such an agency would “provide greater intelligence support for [Japan’s] military expansion, potentially even serving Japan’s future pre-emptive strike capabilities”.
“Japan’s efforts to strengthen its foreign intelligence-gathering capabilities are likely to severely undermine regional trust and cooperation,” it added.
The criticism is part of a rise in tensions between Beijing and Japan in the past month since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that a military attack on Taiwan could be a “survival-threatening situation” for her country, which could allow Tokyo to engage in military action alongside US forces.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States and Japan, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to arming Taiwan.
Beijing sees Takaichi’s comments as interference in internal affairs and has demanded repeatedly that she retract the remarks – something Takaichi has refused to do.
In retaliation, China has issued a travel warning for Japan, and cancelled a series of exchange events.
Amid the tension, Tokyo has announced plans to deploy medium-range missiles to Yonaguni, a small island less than 110km (70 miles) from Taiwan.


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Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans


Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans.


China’s military accuses Japan of raising ‘space arms race’ risk

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans

Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans