Japan’s House of Councillors passed amendments to the Defense Ministry
Establishment Law today, formally designing space as a new operational domain
and renaming the Air Self-Defense Force the Air and Space Self-Defense Force.
The new service is expected to be established in fiscal 2026 (Apr. 1, 2026–Mar.
31, 2027) and will include a newly created Space Operations Group responsible
for space missions. This is the first organizational name change since the Air
Self-Defense Force’s founding in 1954.