A crucial conundrum in modern international relations is Japan's rapid militarisation of space: how can a country with a pacifist constitution acquire military space capabilities while upholding overtly anti-militarist technonationalist narratives?As a case study in the development of national identity through technology and discourse, this paper examines Japan's space program, specifically the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), the H-3 rocket, and the most recent Space Domain Defense Guidelines.This study contends that Japan's techno-nationalist space narrative simultaneously resolves domestic constitutional constraints while creating an increasingly apparent credibility gap with regional partners, especially China and emerging regional powers, based on constructivist and structural realist theoretical frameworks.Through an examination of policy papers, strategic declarations, and regional reactions, the study shows that Japan's purportedly "peaceful" space development conceals increasing military integration that weakens, rather than strengthens, geopolitical power in the Indo-Pacific.The inherent contradiction between constructivist identity narratives and realist security calculations is what causes the credibility gap, rather than hypocrisy per se.This thesis has significant implications for the future of space security governance in the Indo-Pacific, alliance management and regional stability.
JAIN et al. (Fri,) studied this question.