Japan To Launch a Military Space Force In 2019

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Japan To Launch a Military Space Force In 2019

Posted by samzenpus on Monday August 4, 2014 @02:23AM from the wave-motion-gun dept.

Taco Cowboy writes Japan is planning to launch a military space force by 2019. The Mainichi Shimbun is reporting that Japan plans to create a "space force" within its existing Self Defence Force, hoping to have it operational by 2019. Japan would provide the US military with information obtained by the force as part of the joint bid to strengthen ties in space, the so-called "fourth battlefield", Kyodo news agency said, citing unnamed sources. Note that this plan, which involves simply looking into space using old civilian astronomy equipment and radar, is just the beginning. The transforming space fighters and combat mechs will presumably come later.

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But what of the children... by hooiberg · 2014-08-04 02:25 · Score: 5, Funny

... required to operate those space mechs? Child Labour is frowned upon, these enlightened days.
1. Re:But what of the children... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 02:29 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  Are you confusing Japan with China?
2. Re:But what of the children... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 02:44 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  I think this is a reference to Evangelion, Gundam Wing or any of a number of other Japanese television shows involving mechs piloted by teenagers.
3. Re:But what of the children... by RyuuzakiTetsuya · 2014-08-04 02:58 · Score: 1
  
  It's funny, this is actually dealt with in Gundam X. The captain of the ship that everyone rides around in was a veteran child soldier who fought in the war that ruined everything. He wound up with pretty bad PTSD.
  
  --
  Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
4. Re:But what of the children... by CosaNostra+Pizza+Inc · 2014-08-04 04:41 · Score: 1
  
  Or "Battle Of The Planets", featuring G-Force>
5. Re:But what of the children... by ArcadeMan · 2014-08-04 10:02 · Score: 1
  
  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt26...
  
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good thing by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 02:28 · Score: 1

super villians and aliens are such a nusiance. Superman is really busy, so spending the money on this is way overdue.
And there you have it... by Majestix · 2014-08-04 02:29 · Score: 1

...just the right event to kick off a new space race.

--
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Strategic coverage by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 02:29 · Score: 4, Funny

Which of the hypothetical weapons is slated to protect us from Planet Bankruptcy?
1. Re:Strategic coverage by Hsien-Ko · 2014-08-04 02:32 · Score: 1
  
  GX-01.
2. Re:Strategic coverage by Hsien-Ko · 2014-08-04 02:34 · Score: 1
  
  *EVA-01. >:(
3. Re:Strategic coverage by C0R1D4N · 2014-08-04 02:49 · Score: 1
  
  SDF-1
4. Re:Strategic coverage by GameboyRMH · 2014-08-04 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  Don't worry, Japanese Reagan is confident the wealth will start to trickle down any day now!
  
  --
  "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
5. Re:Strategic coverage by lgw · 2014-08-04 05:46 · Score: 1
  
  You joke, but the Japanese have tried that, and almost every other economic idea imaginable over the past 25 or so years of recession. It shows how far our collective understanding of economics is from anything useful. The only dependable advice is "don't pick up that much debt in the first place". Advice which every modern nation seems determined to ignore at any cost (well, not just modern, most throughout history as well).
  
  --
  Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
6. Re:Strategic coverage by MaWeiTao · 2014-08-04 06:07 · Score: 1
  
  Regardless, visit Japan and you'd never know their economy had been stagnant for over two decades. I'd take that kind of stagnation to American "growth" any day. They may be running a huge deficit, but at least the money seems to be used more productively than it ever is in the US. I'd love to see the kinds of massive infrastructure projects they undertake introduced over here. Stimulus spending in America consists of pointless and useless beautification on some stretch of road, not a new bridge link to cut travel times by half and foster local development.
  I've suspected that their economy has stagnated because Japanese companies have expanded as far as they possibly can. The only way to rekindle growth is to engage in the kind of ingenuity and risk taking which Japanese may not be capable of. I certainly don't think this is something the government can fix. It's either that or US-style cost-cutting and layoffs. Although, while that would give the illusion of growth in the short term it would also gut their core competencies.
7. Re:Strategic coverage by scubamage · 2014-08-04 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  Wave motion gun, obviously.
8. Re:Strategic coverage by oh_my_080980980 · 2014-08-04 07:52 · Score: 1
  
  Now you're talking!
9. Re:Strategic coverage by oh_my_080980980 · 2014-08-04 07:54 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah spending money on subsidizing the the whaling industry. Yeah real smart.
10. Re:Strategic coverage by GameboyRMH · 2014-08-04 08:18 · Score: 1
  
  I wasn't joking that much. Shinzo Abe has a lot in common with Reagan (including big weird hair) and Abenomics is a lot like Reaganomics. Similarly it's gutting their lower and middle classes and achieving nothing other than running up the high score numbers of the ultra-rich.
  
  --
  "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
11. Re:Strategic coverage by Chris+Mattern · 2014-08-04 08:33 · Score: 1
  
  The Yamato. Accept no imitations.
12. Re:Strategic coverage by Talderas · 2014-08-05 03:02 · Score: 1
  
  Space Battleship Yamato.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
non military space agreement?? by ganjadude · 2014-08-04 02:32 · Score: 3, Informative

I could have sworn that there was a non militarization of space treaty in place

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1. Re:non military space agreement?? by ganjadude · 2014-08-04 02:43 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  looks like i was correct - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
  
  It exclusively limits the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military maneuvers, or establishing military bases, installations, and fortifications (Art.IV). However, the Treaty does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit. The treaty also states that the exploration of outer space shall be done to benefit all countries and shall be free for exploration and use by all the States. The treaty explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon or a planet, claiming that they are the common heritage of mankind.[3] Art. II of the Treaty states that "outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means". However, the State that launches a space object retains jurisdiction and control over that object.[4] The State is also liable for damages caused by their space object.[5]
  
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2. Re:non military space agreement?? by Meneth · 2014-08-04 02:46 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Yes, the Outer Space Treaty. Japan has signed and ratified it. However, as Wikipedia says, "the Treaty does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit."
3. Re:non military space agreement?? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 02:48 · Score: 1
  
  It's called the Outer Space Treaty. Japan has ratified they treaty.
  But as far as I understand it only bans placing nukes in outerspace.
4. Re:non military space agreement?? by ganjadude · 2014-08-04 02:50 · Score: 1
  
  damn tablet double tap.
  
  I wonder how they will define "WMD" vs "conventional" weapons. wouldnt a conventional weapon shot from space at the earth have a much higher velocity than the same weapon used on earth?? I just dont see the need to weaponize space
  
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5. Re:non military space agreement?? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-08-04 02:50 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I could have sworn that there was a non militarization of space treaty in place
  According to TFA, this 'military space force' is a somewhat hyperbolic description of orbital debris tracking(presumably for satellite protection, as such systems currently are). Depending on the local appetite for defense contracts and the diplomatic PR issues such a purely 'defensive' system will have a greater or lesser chance of becoming the target acquisition mechanism for some sort of anti-satellite system on the ground.
  
  To the best of public knowledge, I don't think anyone has yet followed through on some grand design to put weapons on satellites; but you can put more or less whatever you want on the ground and satellites are not known for their durability...
6. Re:non military space agreement?? by gman003 · 2014-08-04 03:00 · Score: 1
  
  So it's more like a Space Coast Guard than a Space Navy?
7. Re:non military space agreement?? by TubeSteak · 2014-08-04 03:02 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Japan Announces a Military Shift to Thwart China
  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/world/asia/japan-moves-to-permit-greater-use-of-its-military.html
  
  Japan's prime minister announced a reinterpretation of the country's pacifist Constitution on Tuesday, freeing its military for the first time in over 60 years to play a more assertive role in the increasingly tense region.
  
  The antiwar Constitution remains enough of a touchstone for many in Japan that the reinterpretation has spurred rare street protests, and even the self-immolation of a lone protester in Tokyo this week.
  
  The Obama administration said Tuesday that it welcomed Japan's action, adding that it would aid the country's armed forces to "do more within the framework of our alliance."
  This is all about China.
  Even the source article brings up China.
  
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8. Re:non military space agreement?? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-08-04 03:31 · Score: 1
  
  It depends on the orbit of course; but the metaphorical waters are muddied a bit because it's more like a Space Coast Guard than a Space Navy; but in a world with every country with an enthusiasm for missiles or lasers has its own personal Strait of Hormuz, a mixture of everybody's military and civilian shipping passes through all of them every 90 minutes or so, and if some asshole forgets to anchor his dingy it might break into hundreds of lethal fragments and sink a couple of oil tankers and a bulk carrier more or less anywhere...
  
  So...yeah.
9. Re:non military space agreement?? by rahvin112 · 2014-08-04 04:02 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  The problem is we always had a sort of informal treaty with the Russians that we wouldn't go after their space based assets and likewise they wouldn't either.
  The problem is the Chinese have taken an aggressive approach to neutralizing US space assets in the event of conflict. The believe they could win a conflict with the US by eliminating the space advantage the US enjoys. In fact their strategy appears to believe that US battlefield superiority is tied almost exclusively to US space based assets. I think they will ultimately be surprised by how effective such a strategy would be and how much blowback they'd get from the world after they shoot down a bunch of GPS satellites.
  Ultimately that's what this agreement with Japan is about, attempting to neutralize or degrade the ASAT (anti-satellite) capabilities of the Chinese. Japan is critically positioned to shoot down ASAT weapons fired from China.
10. Re:non military space agreement?? by ganjadude · 2014-08-04 04:12 · Score: 1
  
  "states" generally refers to other nations in context of the world view
  
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  have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
11. Re:non military space agreement?? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 04:21 · Score: 1
  
  To the best of public knowledge, I don't think anyone has yet followed through on some grand design to put weapons on satellites
  The Soviets put a 23mm autocannon on their Almaz space station.
  They also created a nuclear orbital bombardment system to put warheads into low Earth orbit to attack the US. It was called (in English) FOBS; Fractional Orbital Bombardment System. The LEO boosters and de-orbit systems were tested with dummy warheads and the system was put into service in '69. Their command economy couldn't sustain further development so they traded it in for SALT II negotiating points.
12. Re:non military space agreement?? by kamapuaa · 2014-08-04 05:04 · Score: 2
  
  It's de facto exactly the same. In the case of a war, any sort of informal treaty with Russia would have been forgotten and we would have taken out the other's space based assets. Of course. It's not like "they're raining death down on us from above...but we're powerless to stop them! We have an informal treaty!"
  And certainly China doesn't believe it could "win" a conflict with the US. And the US military procedures and military systems are designed with the idea that GPS may become unavailable (anyway, GPS signal can simply be jammed).
  
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13. Re:non military space agreement?? by byornski · 2014-08-04 07:11 · Score: 1
  
  Even formal treaties involving WMD do not seem to apply once war starts: NATO Nuclear Weapons Sharing
14. Re:non military space agreement?? by scubamage · 2014-08-04 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  I always wondered about this. How do they define outer space? Above N miles? Outside of the Earth's gravitational pull?
15. Re:non military space agreement?? by radarskiy · 2014-08-04 07:53 · Score: 1
  
  And the Japanese plan as described is entirely consistent with that treaty.
16. Re:non military space agreement?? by oh_my_080980980 · 2014-08-04 07:56 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  Japan is a dying country with no resources. China is a growing country with a hell of a lot of resources. Which country do you want to do business with?
17. Re:non military space agreement?? by rahvin112 · 2014-08-04 12:55 · Score: 1
  
  The US isn't going to invade China, ever. That whole never get involved in a land war in Asia thing applies even if we didn't appear to know that before Afghanistan we certainly know it now.
  Any war with China will be Naval and focused on the east China sea and the straight through the south china sea. The US navy is at least 20 years ahead of the Chinese PLA Naval forces. Any battle is going to be focused on the US Navy blockading Chinese shipping and starving their economy.
  As far as the parents claim that China doesn't believe they could beat the US they are wrong. China has been running articles in the communist party rag about how they could keep America out of any battle through diplomatic and economic pressure. They seem to believe their 1.2 trillion in debt is leverage. They also believe that their anti-ship missiles could neutralize the US Navy in an actual shooting battle.
18. Re:non military space agreement?? by rahvin112 · 2014-08-04 13:00 · Score: 1
  
  We both said we would defend Ukraine's borders too, with a pen and everything. (FWIW, I'm in favor of economic pressures as they're more effective long term, unless you are willing to go the distance (MAD-nukes).
  At the time the treaty was signed the US and Nato were the threat and the Russians were the solution to the threat. The US and Nato agreed to never invade and the Russians agreed to use their Nukes to guarantee that. The Russians alone violated their portion of the treaty. The US and Nato had no obligation under the treaty to defend Ukraine's borders, only to respect them which we have done by continuing to no recognize the seizure of Crimea.
19. Re:non military space agreement?? by sillybilly · 2014-08-04 15:21 · Score: 1
  
  Dude, most of the stuff I order on ebay super cheap from China, is actually decent quality. Most of the decent quality stuff I buy at Walmart or other discount stores, it all says "Made in China." I don't even have a "Made in USA" item to compare it to, most of the time. So if they can build everything else cheaper and of decent quality, it's only a matter of time til they beat us at cost and amount of weapons.
Yes. YES YES YES. by Seumas · 2014-08-04 02:32 · Score: 2

Bring on space battles. I want space battles in my life time. I know aliens probably won't happen and neither will colonizing aonther planet or even the moon, but at least let me have space ship battles.
1. Re:Yes. YES YES YES. by shemyazaz · 2014-08-04 02:35 · Score: 1
  
  I now have the Space Battleship Yamato theme stuck in my head.
2. Re:Yes. YES YES YES. by gigaherz · 2014-08-04 02:37 · Score: 1
  
  Hmm do you expect to survive less than 20 years into the future? Because there's plans to establish moon bases before then.
3. Re:Yes. YES YES YES. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2014-08-04 03:05 · Score: 2
  
  In 1959 there were plans to establish a moon base before 1970... Complete with anti-cosmonaut mines to keep the commies away and an org chart. We ended up not doing that.
4. Re: Yes. YES YES YES. by TheDarkMaster · 2014-08-04 03:20 · Score: 1
  
  Me too. Is a very good theme
  
  --
  Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
5. Re:Yes. YES YES YES. by Cardoor · 2014-08-04 03:46 · Score: 1
  
  i hear ya, but recognize.. they wouldnt be anywhere near as cool as the movies make em out to be. no explosions w/o O2... just a lot of crumpling and squishing.
6. Re:Yes. YES YES YES. by Seumas · 2014-08-04 13:43 · Score: 1
  
  I would be satisfied just in knowing that there is a branch of the service called SPACE MARINES.
7. Re:Yes. YES YES YES. by Cardoor · 2014-08-05 00:32 · Score: 1
  
  space hates us for our freedoms..
the reality is... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 02:34 · Score: 2, Interesting

The reality, is man vs man space combat will likely never happen. Organics are too vulnerable. If there is ever combat in space, it will be via drones sniping each other over ridiculously long distances.
1. Re:the reality is... by captainpanic · 2014-08-04 02:59 · Score: 1
  
  If we ever get to that point, it might also be the end of the space age. With billions of small particles in orbit from all the blown up drones, there won't be a safe orbit left for civilian satellites.
This is what I fear... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 02:35 · Score: 1, Interesting

The Middle East has the world's eyes, but it is no more than two drunks fighting behind a cantina compared to what happens if the Pacific Rim goes up.
People dislike the US, but one thing America has been good at has been keeping the peace in that theater since WWII.
The Pacific Rim affects the world. People don't realize that the casualties of WWI were dwarfed by civil wars in China, or the magnitude of people, technology, and military might in the region.
It is understandable (and reasonable) for Japan to do what it must, especially as China starts militarizing, but I wish it would be possible for Pacific Rim nations and the US to make a treaty as binding as WTO, but to deal with territorial disputes. Likely impossible, but should that area of the world go "hot", everyone in the world will suffer greatly for it... yes, everyone, be it people in Russia, the US, Germany, Iran, or everywhere else.
1. Re:This is what I fear... by scubamage · 2014-08-04 07:34 · Score: 1
  
  What about my welcome?
2. Re:This is what I fear... by oh_my_080980980 · 2014-08-04 07:57 · Score: 1
  
  Wait...starts? Where have you been.....
Space Junk Chain Reaction by Scottingham · 2014-08-04 02:35 · Score: 3, Insightful

Yes, what a great idea! Lets blow shit up in space making *anything* in orbit impossible.

Who needs weather satellites, GPS, and communication equipment anyway?
1. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by jellomizer · 2014-08-04 02:40 · Score: 2
  
  You could blow the junk into smaller pieces so they will burn up faster too.
  But a military space race would be a good thing towards progress in space.
  It gives governments reasons to invest into space.
  Plus they will need to build up so they are not the wimpiest ones in space.
  
  --
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2. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by Meneth · 2014-08-04 02:44 · Score: 1
  
  Even small pieces won't burn up at all unless you push them downwards into the atmosphere first. Explosions tend to push things in every direction, including up and sideways, which is something we really don't want.
3. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by wiggles · 2014-08-04 02:50 · Score: 1
  
  All of that is secondary to survival, and until we figure out how to make government leaders stop being such assholes, threatening each others' populations with annihilation, we're going to need plans for defense - and if the enemy leverages space for any tactical or strategic advantage, then so must we.
  That said, the article says they're just using telescopes to track stuff in space for military purposes, not building Gundams, so you can untwist your panties now that you know this.
4. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 03:16 · Score: 1
  
  Though in principle, I agree "no space war" -- Japan is just desperate due to the pressure from Manga and Anime to build space flying battle suits.
  We may get a few tiny mummified bodies floating in space encased in really impractical anthropomorphic battle suits that die because the giant sword threw off their flight profile and occupant spiraled into a roller coaster 'death vomit". Really, there's nothing here to worry about -- it's a self correcting problem.
5. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by FatLittleMonkey · 2014-08-04 04:30 · Score: 2
  
  what a great idea! Lets blow shit up in space
  FTFA: "The term brings to mind dystopian visions of fighters patrolling near space, but will actually revolve around protecting satellites from space debris orbiting the Earth."
  
  --
  Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
6. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by bmajik · 2014-08-04 04:31 · Score: 1
  
  Who needs weather satellites, GPS, and communication equipment anyway?
  In the modern world, we all do. Which is why we should be more alarmed that all of these things are so very vulnerable to an increasingly long list of state-actors who don't like the West, and are so difficult to replace on short notice.
  We've "gotten away with it" for a long time now. But any honest person knew those days were numbered.
  At some point, we're going to have to really deal with the problem of space junk, and with the problem of space warfare as a prolific source of new space junk.
  
  --
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7. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by lgw · 2014-08-04 05:52 · Score: 1
  
  The atmosphere is not a yes/no thing. There's not much drag in LEO, but it's not 0. Over time, orbits there decay. And the more non-circular an orbit (as tends to be the case from explosions), the more likely it will pass through thicker atmosphere at perigee. Just one more case where if violence isn't solving your problem, you're not using enough of it.
  
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8. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by fph+il+quozientatore · 2014-08-04 07:21 · Score: 2
  
  FTFA: "The term brings to mind dystopian visions of fighters patrolling near space, but will actually revolve around protecting satellites from space debris orbiting the Earth."
  Planetes anyone?
  
  --
  My first program:
  Hell Segmentation fault
9. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by scubamage · 2014-08-04 07:27 · Score: 1
  
  I'm not a fan of that thinking. A military space race will essentially lead to a new cold war. The last one wasn't very fun. Scientific progress doesn't get the praise it deserves when half the world thinks it will lead to their imminent destruction. Hell, Sputnik had kids hiding under school desks when they should have been celebrating a landmark for our species.
10. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by bmajik · 2014-08-04 07:37 · Score: 1
  
  Your James Bond film sounds very intriguing and I would like to subscribe to your... movie.
  
  --
  My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.
11. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by radarskiy · 2014-08-04 07:55 · Score: 1
  
  Blowing shit up is entirely unlike the Japanese plan described.
12. Re:Space Junk Chain Reaction by RyoShin · 2014-08-05 09:56 · Score: 1
  
  Looks like Japan has considered that angle. I don't know about naming something from Japan "S.T.A.R.S.", though...
Awesome! by Dan+East · 2014-08-04 02:40 · Score: 2

Let's hope it's comprised of 5 giant mechanical lions that can combine together into a single massive mechanical humanoid.

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Better known as 318230.
1. Re:Awesome! by Jason+Levine · 2014-08-04 02:45 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Hopefully they hire better pilots. The last massive mechanical humanoid pilots didn't think to use their giant sword (with a 100% effectiveness rating against giant space monsters) until after they've tried other methods that had nearly 0% effectiveness.
  
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Starblazers by DrRobert · 2014-08-04 02:43 · Score: 1

Space Battleship Yamato.... finally...
Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato) by mpercy · 2014-08-04 02:48 · Score: 2

I watched that as a kid.
1. Re:Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato) by smooth+wombat · 2014-08-04 02:52 · Score: 1
  
  I still have the entire first series on video tape and part of the second.
  Favorite part, by far, is their battle inside Planet Gamolon. Nothing better than watching it at night, lights off, volume to 11.
  Not advisable if you are prone to epileptic seizures.
  
  --
  We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Headline is Misleading by timrod · 2014-08-04 02:48 · Score: 1

The article headline here makes it sound like Japan is getting ready to start space warfare, when in fact the article itself says that this program is meant to protect existing orbital assets by tracking space debris. I don't get why they use the term "fourth battlefield" in the article either, since it doesn't seem like anyone affiliated with this program actually said that. If anything, this sounds like it could lead to efforts to capture space junk and dispose of it safely.
1. Re:Headline is Misleading by JustNiz · 2014-08-04 04:15 · Score: 1
  
  ...and thats where it starts..
  I guarantee it won't be long until someone uses the word "terrorism" to excuse any and all radical deviations from the program's original agenda.
2. Re:Headline is Misleading by scubamage · 2014-08-04 07:36 · Score: 1
  
  Really, that's all they need to do to secure funding. "We have reliable intelligence saying that somewhere, some how, space terrorists will act terroristly."
Mech fighters by deamonpainter33 · 2014-08-04 02:52 · Score: 1

Looks like Japan is trying to make a good excuse for a transforming mech... so let's call them Gundams :D

--
"In the kingdom where everything dies, the sky is mortal."
1. Re:Mech fighters by voss · 2014-08-04 03:13 · Score: 1
  
  Gundams are easy. Breeding Tsundere girls with naturally pink and blue hair...a bit harder.
need to stop space godzilla by Joe_Dragon · 2014-08-04 03:10 · Score: 1

need to stop space godzilla
We're off to outer space by chinton · 2014-08-04 03:19 · Score: 1

We're leaving Mother Earth, To save the human race, Our Star Blazers...
yada yada yada
Mainichi Shimbun by zeroryoko1974 · 2014-08-04 03:55 · Score: 1

Isn't that paper like the Japanese equivalent to the Weekly World News, or the National Enquirer?
Never a better moment to quote Blade Runner by Anonymous Coward · 2014-08-04 04:40 · Score: 1

"I've... seen things you people wouldn't believe; attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion; I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those... moments... will be lost... in time, like... tears... in rain."
voltron or power rangers by Virtucon · 2014-08-04 04:56 · Score: 1

it could go either way.

--
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
Science Patrol? by LordBadger · 2014-08-04 05:10 · Score: 1

Will they call the Science Patrol, and fight Kaiju?
Code name... by zorro-z · 2014-08-04 05:34 · Score: 1

Code name: Star Blazers! Cue the theme, raise the Yamato, and ready the wave motion gun!

--
-Z
1. Re:Code name... by oh_my_080980980 · 2014-08-04 08:02 · Score: 1
  
  See now I'm torn: Star Blazers or Robotech.......
Mitsubishi A6M by NikeHerc · 2014-08-04 07:36 · Score: 1

If you find an A6M on your tail and you have the maneuverability advantage, turn sharp right. If you don't have the maneuverability advantage, don't try to dogfight, make a steep dive, get away, rejoin the fight.

--
Circle the wagons and fire inward. Entropy increases without bounds.
Re:My thoughts by scubamage · 2014-08-04 07:41 · Score: 1

Sadly that's not going to happen until people put more priority on other people than they do on invisible lines that old dead people drew that really have no purpose other than making us hate each other.
Re:LOL sure sure Japan.... by oh_my_080980980 · 2014-08-04 08:01 · Score: 1

Thank You! China actually has a space program. Japan has model planes. Sad.
commenting on transformers and mech bots is racist by MossStan · 2014-08-04 09:29 · Score: 1

space force is my new favorite term.

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It is what it is.
It's 2199, not 2019. The article has a typo. by master_p · 2014-08-04 11:53 · Score: 1

Japan will create its Space Force, better known as Star Force, in 2199. The article has a typo.
hmmm. by stoatwblr · 2014-08-05 12:55 · Score: 1

If Japan wants to do this, they'll have to do something about the (un)reliability of their rockets and probes.
The track record so far isn't exactly wonderful and indications are that the problems are cultural rather than technical (If you're brought up not to question authority, you don't interrupt your superior when he's making a mistake - even if that mistake might be crashing an aircraft, or putting a flawed rocket motor design together.)
Voices of a Distant Star by DarthVain · 2014-08-06 01:34 · Score: 1

Probably one of the better examples. A movie, not a TV series. Involve the use of children using mechs to fight in a war against aliens in distant space. Interestingly enough, the movie isn't really about this, but rather the long distance relationship between a girl that gets recruited, and a boy who does not. Presumably they use children because of reflexes, or size, or more likely the length of time involved.
What makes this story most interesting is that all the communication is done VIA texting. Yes Space texting, presumably though some technological magic communication device which seems compatible with modern cellphones. Anyway that plot device aside, the real interest is that one is traveling at greater than relativistic speeds, and probably also some space lag if you will. This means while the boy ages though his life, having a family etc... the girl pretty much stays the same age...
It is very much a retelling of Joe Haldeman's "Forever War", about love spanning space and time, though with a much sadder conclusion.