Takaichi announces Japan will strengthen space defense capabilities and participate in U.S.-led Artemis program.

Takaichi announces Japan will strengthen space defense capabilities and participate in U.S.-led Artemis program.

[Strategic Headquarters for Space Development] On June 12, 2026, Prime Minister Takaichi held the 34th meeting of the Strategic Headquarters for Space Development at the Prime Minister’s Office. At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on the priority measures for the revision of the Roadmap of the Basic Plan on Space Policy. Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister stated the following. Today, we decided on the priority measures for the next phase of the Basic Plan on Space Policy. The current Basic Plan was formulated three years ago when I served as Minister of State for Space Policy, together with Minister Onoda in the same capacity. The Plan identified the technologies that Japan should prioritize and called for measures including strengthened strategic and flexible funding support for private-sector operators. My administration has positioned the space sector as one of its seventeen strategic sectors. Investment in space is an important investment in next-generation national infrastructure that supports our security, economic activities, and the daily lives of our people. From the perspective of national security, we will strengthen our space domain awareness capabilities and make greater use of satellite constellations, thereby fundamentally enhancing our defense capabilities through the utilization of space. At the same time, we will further strengthen cooperation with our allies and like-minded countries and ensure free and open access to space. With regard to lunar exploration, where international competition is intensifying, Japan will proactively participate in the U.S.-led Artemis program. We will pursue the development of the crewed pressurized rover and aim to realize a lunar landing by Japanese astronauts. The foundation supporting these activities is our launch capability and launch sites. Even if Japan manufactures outstanding satellites domestically, insufficient launch capacity would force us to rely on overseas launch services. Today, the launch of Japan’s flagship H3 rocket was successfully conducted from the launch facilities at the Tanegashima Space Center. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all those whose efforts contributed to this achievement. In order to meet growing launch demand both in Japan and overseas, we will further strengthen Japan’s launch capabilities. In addition, in order to promote the utilization of satellites in civilian fields, we will create initial demand through government procurement while also supporting startups in a wide range of areas, including smart agriculture and infrastructure inspection. We will also expand the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System “Michibiki,” which provides world-leading positioning accuracy. We will broaden the range of applications for satellite positioning systems, including drones and autonomous driving technologies. To advance these policies, it is essential to promote technological development through the Space Strategy Fund while strengthening the human resources of JAXA a