China calls Japan's space defense strategy a threat and opposes it as Tokyo increases military investment and space capabilities.

China has criticized Japan's new space defense strategy, claiming it poses a threat to security and stability. Japan announced its space defense regulations on Monday in Tokyo.  In order to increase defense in space and collaboration with the US and other partners, its defense ministry pointed to the advancement of Chinese and Russian military capabilities in space.

China's foreign ministry responded on Tuesday by claiming that the US, Japan, and other Western nations have been extending their military cooperation in space and have used “defense” as a cover to create and utilize space weapons. At a routine news conference in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that these actions endanger the safety and stability of space and spark worries among neighboring nations about a return to militarization.

China and Russia are aggressively researching technology to jam or neutralize other nations' satellites, including direct ascent anti-satellite missiles, in-orbit rendezvous and proximity operations, and so-called killer satellites, according to Japan's rules. According to the instructions, China has constructed constellations for target monitoring, tracking, and communication, and it has greatly expanded its network of military satellites in recent years.

They say that satellites will allow for long-range, accurate strikes and will quickly improve the Chinese military's control, command, intelligence, communication, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. A 9.4% increase over the previous year, Japan's defense expenditure for the fiscal year 2025 is a record 8.7 trillion yen (US$58.5 billion). Approximately 283.2 billion yen has been set aside for a satellite constellation.