Japanese media have recently been hyping up the claim that China's satellite constellation passes over Japan every 10 minutes, and emphasized that the Japanese government has strengthened its vigilance for this. On the 16th, experts who accepted an interview with Global Times stated that in fact, China's satellite system is an important guarantee for maintaining regional and global peace and stability. The so-called "threat theory" from Japan is essentially a subjective speculation based on their own guilty conscience.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 15th that China's remote sensing satellites are passing over Japan at a very high frequency, continuously monitoring areas around the Self-Defense Forces and U.S. military bases in Japan. The media cited public data from the U.S. Space Force satellite tracking website, stating that by December 2025, about 80 of China's remote sensing satellites had long-term orbital paths covering Japan and other regions, with an average of one satellite passing over Japan every 10 minutes.

The Yomiuri Shimbun analyzed in a serious tone that the frequency of Chinese remote sensing satellites passing over the area near Yokosuka base was approximately 60 times per day, and about 48 times near Sasebo base, with as many as 10 satellites passing over during certain periods within two hours. The media also mentioned that Japan currently uses 11 intelligence-gathering satellites to take photographs of specific locations at a frequency of more than once per day.

According to public reports, China launched more than 120 remote sensing satellites in 2025, and civil remote sensing satellites in orbit exceeded 640, continuing to maintain the second position in the world. These satellites cover optical, hyperspectral, infrared, and microwave types, and have achieved all-weather, all-time Earth observation. Their purpose is not "military monitoring" as claimed by Japan.

"The Japanese side should objectively recognize that China's vigorous development of satellites and space technology is not aimed at Japan," said military expert Song Zhongping to Global Times on the 16th. "In fact, China has deployed satellites in geostationary orbit. If it were purely for monitoring purposes, geostationary orbit satellites could fully achieve continuous and stable observation of specific areas. Therefore, Japan's deliberate hype about the normal orbital operation of China's satellites is neither professional nor meaningful in practice."

Song Zhongping further analyzed that China's development of the space industry has always served human technological progress and the advancement of civilization, making an important contribution to global technological progress; at the same time, it serves China's own sovereignty, security, and development interests. China's construction of a satellite system aims to safeguard its core interests and achieve a clear understanding of the security environment, which is a legitimate right of a sovereign state. "For Japan, if it upholds the concept of peace and treats neighboring countries with goodwill, China's satellite system will not pose any threat. Only if Japan insists on promoting a new militarist line will it view normal space capabilities as a threat."

Source: Global Times

Original: toutiao.com/article/7618025651903201826/

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