Comprehensive Dialogue on Space (1979–present)
U.S. Agencies
Department of State
Department of Defense
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
U.S. Trade Representative
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Executive Office of the President
Japan Agencies
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Cabinet Offices
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology
Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry
Ministry of Energy
Ministry of Defense
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
National Security Council
Meeting Frequency
1x/year
Context
- U.S.-Japan collaboration in space began in 1979 focused on science. Economic and environmental cooperation was added later, until it all combined with security issues as part of a Comprehensive Dialogue on Space in 2013.
Goals
- To harmonize the two countries’ space policies.
- To investigate potential areas for collaboration, such as earth observations, preparing for natural disasters, economic growth, and international and national security, among many others.
Significance
The allies established a Standing Senior Liaison Group in 1979 to oversee seventeen joint projects. In the 1990s, this collaboration expanded to include commercial issues with a 1990 agreement on satellite procurement, followed by a 1994 agreement for joint development on a remote sensing system for environmental surveys, among other cooperation. The first Comprehensive Dialogue in 2013 signaled a shift toward more space security cooperation, with U.S. and Japanese officials signing a memorandum of understanding to share information on space situational awareness and affirming collaboration in use of space for Maritime Domain Awareness. The governments have since taken steps to clear the technical hurdles necessary to implement the agreement.