Japan And U.S. Governments Signed Agreement In Space Cooperation

It was reported on January 13 that the U.S. and Japanheld a signing ceremony of two nations’ space cooperation framework agreement in Washington, D.C..The agreement is expected to promote Japan’s participation and deep cooperation of the Artemis Program, a robotic and human moon exploration program led by the U.S. NASA. This move is aimed at countering Communist China’s efforts to promote space development, including at the military level. According to NASA, the cooperative agreement targets a wide range of joint activities such as space exploration, transportation and scientific research. According to plan, the crewed Artemis 2 launch will take place in 2024 and the Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing in 2025. Japan is expected to become the second country in the world after the United States to achieve a manned lunar landing. In addition, a manned exploration of Mars is envisioned for around 2040.Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the agreement. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who attended the ceremony, said that he strongly hoped that this agreement will enhance space cooperation between the two countries.