The United States and Japan recently in Tokyo held their first meeting of the Comprehensive Dialogue on Space, according to a Defense Department statement.
DoD said the convening of this first Dialogue ensures a whole-of-government approach to space issues and space cooperation relevant to a wide range of interests, including resource and disaster management, environmental monitoring, technology development, scientific discovery, national and international security and economic growth.
The two nations at the meeting exchanged information on respective space policies, including Japan’s newly formed Basic Plan on Space Policy. The United States and Japan also discussed further collaboration in positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services from the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite U.S., HJSystem (QZSS) as well as earth observation, data exchange and space science.
Both sides also shared the intention to continue cooperation on the International Space Station (ISS) and discussions regarding future space exploration activities. Both nations discussed space security cooperation and confirmed their interest in furthering bilateral Space Situational Awareness (SSA). The United States and Japan also re-affirmed their interest in collaboration in the use of space for Maritime Domain Awareness.
Both nations agreed to hold the second Dialogue meeting in Washington in early 2014.