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Japan's armed forces are evaluating Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service with a view toward adopting it in the next fiscal year, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday, citing unnamed government sources.
The Ministry of Defense already has access to communication satellites in geostationary orbit, but using Starlink technology, which is run by Musk's company SpaceX, would add a fleet of satellites in low Earth orbit, the Yomiuri said.
Countries all over the world are trying to get ready for the possibility that connections could be cut off or that satellites could be attacked during a war.
Since March, Japan's Self-Defense Forces have been testing Starlink, with the system deployed in around ten places and in training, the newspaper said.
Outside of work hours, no one from the defense ministry could be reached for comment on the report.
Ukraine is using Starlink technology on the battlefield, while Russia is attempting to prevent its deployment in the region. Musk stated in October that SpaceX could not afford to subsidize Starlink's operation in Ukraine indefinitely.
The US Defense Department said this month that it had contracted to offer Starlink services in that country.
Source: REUTERS
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