U.S. and Japan Strengthen Space Collaboration through Dialogues

JAPAN – U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Clinton E. Crosier, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) director of plans and policy, participated in Department of State (DoS) /Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) space security dialogues during a recent visit to Japan, which led to commitments on further space security partnering initiatives. He also met wish Japan Ministry of Defense (MOD) leaders and delivered the keynote speech on space security at the Japan International Space Symposium.

While there, Crosier met with Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Adm. Katsutoshi Kawano, Japan’s Joint Staff chief of staff; Japanese Ground Defense Force Maj. Gen. Takayuki Onozuka, Japan’s Joint Staff Defense Plans and Policy Department director general; and other leaders to discuss space, cyber, and missile defense as part of an ongoing collaborative effort by USSTRATCOM and Japan’s MOD to continue growing their partnership.

"The relationship between the U.S. and Japan has never been stronger,” said Crosier. “Japan fully understands the rapidly growing threats being developed by some countries, and has fully committed to ensuring space security with the U.S. in the Pacific theater.”

Crosier also toured Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) – Japan’s equivalent to NASA – facilities to review the progress on JAXA's ability to integrate with USSTRATCOM’s Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) and to improve on Japanese sensor integration.

Following a series of bilateral space security forums, the two nations agreed to the importance of improving space situational awareness, space resiliency and security initiatives.

“This series of important bilateral dialogues over the past week will lead to critically important initiatives and capabilities in the next few years that will increase our ability to protect our systems in a contested space environment," Crosier said.