High above Earth, beyond the reach of weather or night, a small satellite with a big antenna peers silently down through the clouds. Japan’s QPS-SAR satellite, equipped with a 3.6-meter radar dish that unfolds like a metallic bloom in orbit, doesn’t capture traditional images. It sees with microwaves. It maps the world not in light, but in pulses and echoes—bouncing radar signals off the planet to reveal what’s hidden beneath fog, smoke, snow, or shadow.
And now, for the first time, Japan is giving another nation access to that view.
On April 21, 2025, Japan announced that it will begin sharing high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from these satellites with Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the HUR (commonly known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR). The deal marks a turning point—not just in Japan’s historically conservative foreign policy, but in the evolving landscape of global intelligence sharing and private-sector defense innovation.
This isn’t just about satellite data. It’s about reshaping how wars are surveilled, how intelligence is gathered, and how alliances are formed in an increasingly contested world.
To grasp the significance of this partnership, it’s crucial to understand SAR technology. Unlike optical satellites, which rely on visible light and need clear skies to function, SAR satellites use active radar. They send microwave signals toward Earth and measure the return. This method means SAR can function day or night, through heavy clouds, dense smoke, and even rain or snow.
For a country like Ukraine, locked in a grinding war against Russia since 2022, these features offer a game-changing edge. Conventional reconnaissance often stalls under cloud cover or in low light—precisely the conditions under which SAR thrives. In the flat, foggy plains of Donbas or the snow-covered forests of the north, SAR satellites can still see. They can track convoys, monitor construction of fortifications, and assess damage from artillery strikes—all in near real time.
The value is tactical and strategic. According to a 2024 Newsweek report, nearly 40% of the satellite imagery used by Ukraine to plan successful strikes came from Finnish SAR provider ICEYE. Now, Japan’s entry into the intelligence stream promises to reinforce and diversify that capability.
The Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS), a relatively small company based in Fukuoka, Japan, has developed SAR satellites unlike any before them. Weighing around 100 kilograms—about the size of a washing machine—these satellites offer resolutions down to 46 centimeters, sharp enough to detect objects smaller than a sedan.
This clarity comes from iQPS’s signature innovation: a collapsible radar antenna that folds to just 80 centimeters for launch, then expands to 3.6 meters in orbit. Its spring-loaded, bowl-shaped design maintains precise curvature, minimizing signal distortion. It’s an elegant fusion of engineering and pragmatism.
Since launching its first satellite, “Izanagi,” in 2019, and its second, “Izanami,” in 2021, iQPS has steadily improved performance. By April 2025, the firm is operating five satellites. It plans to expand to seven by 2026 and a full 24-satellite constellation by 2027. This would allow the company to revisit any point on Earth every 10 minutes—an unprecedented cadence for SAR imagery at this resolution.
Cost is another disruptive factor. iQPS claims its satellites are one-hundredth the cost of traditional SAR platforms. That drastically lowers the barrier to entry for customers, including governments that might otherwise rely on superpower benefactors.
According to a report by Intelligence Online, Japan and Ukraine began discussing a SAR imagery-sharing agreement in February 2025. The timing was no accident. A temporary halt in U.S. intelligence sharing earlier that year left Kyiv briefly exposed and looking to broaden its base of support. Although U.S. assistance resumed within weeks, the incident underscored Ukraine’s need for redundancy in its surveillance assets.
Japan responded with a calculated offer: access to SAR data from iQPS’s satellites, filtered and integrated into GUR’s intelligence systems over a two- to three-month rollout period.
For GUR, the benefits are immense. SAR images can:
- Detect movement of troops and vehicles, even under camouflage nets.
- Identify changes in terrain that indicate recent activity, like trench digging or road construction.
- Monitor key logistical routes for fuel, ammunition, or reinforcement convoys.
- Validate strike results or damage assessments in real time.
GUR has already proven adept at using SAR in combat scenarios. The addition of iQPS’s data will enhance both strategic planning and tactical responsiveness—especially in regions where weather conditions hinder conventional imaging.
Japan has long been hesitant to share intelligence with foreign powers—especially military intelligence. Its post-World War II constitution, centered on pacifism, strictly limits armed engagement and has shaped decades of cautious defense policy. The country’s space assets have historically focused on civilian applications like disaster response and environmental monitoring.
Yet the world is changing, and Japan is adapting.
In 2024, during the Noto Peninsula earthquake, iQPS satellites provided high-res radar images that helped emergency responders track landslides and infrastructure damage. The success highlighted SAR’s versatility beyond military use.
Now, with this agreement, Japan is signaling a more assertive stance in international security—albeit through private-sector cooperation. Though not a direct military export, the sharing of SAR data with Ukraine’s armed forces represents a policy departure, and potentially a precedent for future intelligence collaboration.
This pivot reflects Japan’s broader strategic ambitions. As tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific and the country strengthens its participation in the Quad alliance (with the U.S., Australia, and India), Japan appears increasingly willing to use its technological assets for global security.
While Ukraine already receives SAR support from Finland’s ICEYE, Germany’s SAR-Lupe and SARah systems, and Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed, iQPS offers several distinct advantages:
- Agility: Its satellites are smaller, faster to build, and easier to deploy than legacy systems.
- Cost: The low price tag could allow Ukraine—or any country—to expand access without massive government budgets.
- Innovation: The deployable antenna and near-real-time revisit goals place iQPS at the forefront of next-gen SAR platforms.
This evolution mirrors broader trends in satellite development. Where once only superpowers could field advanced radar imaging constellations, commercial firms are now offering competitive, even superior, alternatives.
That democratization of space-based intelligence is shaking the foundations of traditional defense models.
The rise of companies like iQPS isn’t just about Ukraine. It’s about how nations perceive, buy, and use intelligence in the 21st century.
Military intelligence has historically been a state-owned endeavor—costly, slow-moving, and tightly controlled. But with commercial SAR firms offering subscription-based data feeds, more governments and even non-state actors can access tools once limited to superpowers.
This raises both opportunity and risk.
On the one hand, broader access to near-real-time imagery can enhance disaster response, environmental monitoring, and transparency in conflict zones. On the other hand, it can also enable surveillance and targeting in active combat. Questions about oversight, data ownership, and ethical use are becoming more urgent.
If a small startup in Fukuoka can influence a war thousands of kilometers away, what happens when dozens of such firms flood the market?
As iQPS moves toward its goal of a 24-satellite constellation, its partnership with Ukraine may serve as a test case. Success could open the door for future collaborations—not only with governments, but with humanitarian organizations, climate researchers, and private corporations.
At the same time, Japan’s willingness to enter the intelligence-sharing arena could alter the security dynamics of Asia. If Tokyo continues to broaden its partnerships, we may see new coalitions form around space-based surveillance and rapid-response capabilities.
In the immediate term, the priority lies with integration. Ukraine’s GUR will need to adapt its systems to receive, process, and analyze SAR data from iQPS—a task that will stretch technical resources but pay dividends in battlefield awareness.
And for Japan, this moment could mark the beginning of a new chapter—one where technological innovation becomes a vehicle for international influence, security cooperation, and strategic agility.
The April 2025 announcement isn’t just a data-sharing agreement. It’s a signal that the rules of intelligence are changing. That small, agile firms can now compete with giants. That nations traditionally seen as reluctant players can still shape global conflict in subtle but powerful ways.
For Ukraine, iQPS’s unblinking radar eye offers a sharper look at the battlefield—and a stronger position in its fight for sovereignty.
For Japan, it’s a step into a more assertive global role, one where satellites and software may define power more than troops and tanks.
