A Japanese university is holding one of Myanmar’s satellites for fear it will be used for military purposes. Two officials from Japan’s Hokkaido University recently told Reuters that the country’s first satellite is being held in Japan’s International Space Station’s Experiment Module Kibo after a coup in Myanmar. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Hokkaido University are deciding what to do with the satellite.
The cooperation between Myanmar and Japan on satellite construction began in 2012. With funding from the Myanmar government, the Myanmar University of Aeronautics and Space Engineering, Hokkaido University and Tohoku University in Japan started a collaboration that year to launch a remote sensing satellite manufacturing program.
Publicly available information shows that the project is supported by Japan in terms of technology and personnel training, and cooperation in building two miniature remote sensing satellites weighing 50 kg each. The satellites will be launched at an altitude of 500 kilometers above the ground and will be used for civilian purposes such as agriculture and fisheries monitoring.
Construction of the first $15 million satellite was completed in Japan in October 2020. NASA launched the $15 million satellite on Feb. 20 this year to the International Space Station, 400 kilometers from Earth. Since then, JAXA has been keeping it in the “Kibo” experiment module, waiting to enter orbit to fulfill its mission.
The Burmese military took over the democratically elected government in a coup d’état on Feb. 1. Human rights activists and some Japanese officials are concerned that the satellite carries cameras that could be used by the Burmese junta for military purposes.
Two Hokkaido University officials said such concerns have put further deployment of the satellite on hold. One of the officials, who asked not to be named, told Reuters that Japan, for its part, would not get involved in anything military-related. This is despite the fact that the contract does not explicitly state that the satellite cannot be used for military purposes. However, according to the Hokkaido University official, data from the satellite is pooled and held by The Japanese side and is not independently accessible to Burmese officials.
Hokkaido University officials said they have been unable to contact Professor Kyi Thwin, president of the Myanmar Aerospace University, since the coup in Burma, where the situation is currently volatile. Hokkaido University is discussing its next move, and officials said they hope to restart the project in the future if further satellite deployments are called off.
Reuters reported that journalists could not reach officials at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for comment. The Myanmar Aerospace University did not return a reporter’s call requesting comment, and a spokesman for Myanmar’s military government did not respond.
Japan has close ties with Myanmar and is one of the country’s biggest aid donors. Japan joined the United States and other members of the Group of Seven in condemning the coup in mid-February, but it has not imposed new sanctions on the Burmese junta, as the United States has.
Although the satellite was not built to military specifications, Teppei Kasai, Asia program officer for the international NGO Human Rights Watch, said the Burmese military government could easily use the technology for military purposes. He argued that the Japanese university in question should suspend the project and urgently review its potential human rights risks.
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