| TOKYO: Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) plans to submit a bill to parliament as early as this year allowing military use of space for defensive purposes, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said on Sunday. If passed, the new law would enable the government to launch reconnaissance satellites for defence purposes, enabling it to detect North Korean missile launches and other military incidents, the paper said. Japan's use of space is currently limited to non-military purposes under a strict interpretation of a UN treaty that Tokyo ratified in 1967. |