Keio University Syllabus and Timetable

This is a seminar on space policy. Students will conduct research on a topic of their choice and present their findings orally and in writing.

The development and use of space was initially undertaken by the governments of great powers and developed countries, led by the United States and the Soviet Union. However, as space has become more democratized, the players in space development and utilization have expanded to include governments of small and medium-sized and developing countries, as well as non-state actors such as corporations. The applications of space development and use have also expanded, and space has become indispensable to everyday economic and social activities. GPS has already become an integral part of our daily lives, and the age in which individuals use satellite communications directly on their smartphones is fast approaching. The area of space development and use is also expanding. With the United States and China at the forefront, the goal is to transform the Moon and surrounding space into a sustainable area of activity.

In this context, various policy issues have arisen. The global increase in space activity has led to congestion in the space around the Earth. As a result, the risk of operational satellites colliding with other satellites or space debris has increased, threatening the long-term sustainability of space activity. At the same time, problems such as light pollution from satellites reflecting sunlight, which interferes with astronomical observations, and the negative impact on the ozone layer caused by space debris re-entering the atmosphere have also been pointed out.

The lowering of the threshold for space use means that it has become easier to use space for military purposes. Besides, the proliferation of military use of space may lead to the generalization of actions to disrupt the use of space by adversaries. In the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine is using commercial services to make extensive use of space in its military operations. In response, Russia is attempting to disrupt the Ukrainian military's use of space, and commercial space systems are also being targeted.

Efforts to make the Moon and its environs a sustainable space for human activity also raise issues of space governance. The exploitation of lunar resources is essential for the sustainable development of activities on the Moon, but there are no international rules governing the development of space resources. There are concerns that a race to develop the Moon in the absence of international order could lead to conflict.

In this seminar, we will discuss ways to solve the policy issues surrounding the development and use of space. The emphasis of the seminar will be on individual research. Students will each choose a topic and conduct research. They will then present their research orally and write a paper. To help them do this, the seminar will provide guidance on how to conduct research, read literature in a group setting, and provide individual research guidance. In addition, the seminar will invite practitioners to give guest lectures to help students become more familiar with space policy.

Space Policy

Same as this semester

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- 青木節子『中国が宇宙を支配する日ー宇宙安保の現代史ー』（新潮社、2021年）
- 青木節子『日本の宇宙戦略』（慶應義塾大学出版会、2006年）
- 小塚荘一郎 、佐藤雅彦編著『宇宙ビジネスのための宇宙法入門』第3版（有斐閣、2024年）
- 鈴木一人『宇宙開発と国際政治』（岩波書店、2011年）
- 福島康仁『宇宙と安全保障ー軍事利用の潮流とガバナンスの模索ー』（千倉書房、2020年）
- Bleddyn E. Bowen, Original Sin: Power, Technology and War in Outer Space, Oxford University Press, 2022.
- James Clay Moltz, The Politics of Space Security: Strategic Restraint and the Pursuit of National Interests, Third Edition, Stanford University Press, 2019.

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