Japan last week put its first Earth-circling spy satellites in orbit, acquiring its own capability to gather intelligence information from space about conditions in other countries. There is little doubt, considering recent developments in and around North Korea, that these two satellites are designed particularly to cope with missile threats from the reclusive authoritarian state.

The government has explained that these satellites are limited to peaceful applications because they use only civilian technology. Japan is explicitly committed to the nonmilitary development and use of space, as stated in relevant laws and Diet resolutions. That commitment has been affirmed internationally as well. But it is also true, as the government itself has acknowledged, that these two satellites are intended to bolster the nation's defenses by improving its intelligence-gathering capability.

That may be part of the reason why so few details about the satellites, such as their performance characteristics and predetermined orbits -- let alone the nature of their photographs -- have been published. These details, the reasoning goes, are classified as state secrets. It is fairly clear, though, that Japan's space development program has now assumed military overtones. What remains unclear is how effective the new satellites will be in helping the Defense Agency assess threats of a missile attack.