Japan is working on the basic principles and implementation road map for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s $6.7 billion, 10-year Space Strategic Fund and is expected to release the document soon, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.
Japan’s cabinet approved the bill in November that created the fund to support JAXA’s development, technology demonstration and commercialization of advanced space technologies. According to a Nikkei Asia report, the agency is expected to accept funding applications in April. During a February meeting, three funding support areas were presented to the Space Policy Committee tasked with preparing the road map: satellites, space exploration and space transportation.
Yui Nakama, a global fellow at the European Space Policy Institute, told SpaceNews that growing geopolitical tension and competition in the region are urging the country to maintain its space lead in the Asia Pacific. Worldwide, Morgan Stanley figures predict a space industry market surpassing the $1 trillion mark by 2040.
Tokyo is also working on a technology road map across security and civilian sectors under Japan’s Space Technology Strategy announced in 2023, Nakama said.
In early 2020, Japan established its U.S. Space Force counterpart, collaborating with the American service branch on the Japanese military unit’s missions. The two superpowers also have a space partnership involving Japan’s geostationary satellites. The Japanese satellites host two U.S. Space Systems Command space sensors, contributing to the U.S. Space Force’s space domain awareness mission and the Department of Defense’s Indo-Pacific integrated deterrence strategy.
