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December 26, 2011 Updated

JAXA held 18th APRSAF

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The eighteenth session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-18), under the main theme entitled "A regional collaboration for tomorrow's environment", successfully concluded its 4-day program on Friday, December 9, 2011, at Marina Mandarin Singapore. APRSAF-18 was jointly organized by the Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA), the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, National University of Singapore (CRISP), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Approximately 280 participants from 28 countries and region and 11 international organizations attended the session.

APRSAF-18, as was the case in the past, consisted of four working group (Earth Observation WG, Communication Satellite Applications WG, Space Education and Awareness WG, and Space Environment Utilization WG) sessions that were held in parallel and the plenary. There were also relevant events in conjunction with APRSAF-18 such as the water rocket event, SAFE workshop, poster contest, and the special astronaut event entitled "Asians in Space: Achievements of Human Spaceflight in Asian Countries".

At the plenary session on Day3, on 8 December, opening remarks were made by Mr. Joseph Hui, Deputy Chief Executive, Technology & Corporate Development, National Environment Agency, Singapore, and keynote addresses were delivered by the representatives of the countries that co-organized APRSAF-18, namely, Dr. Tetsuhiko Ikegami, Chairman, Space Activities Commission (SAC), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan and Mr. Tan Choo Shian, Deputy Managing Director, Economic Development Board (EDB), Singapore.

At a country report session, Dr. Keiji Tachikawa, President, JAXA made a presentation and introduced Japan's climate change studies and adaptations. He also spoke about the utilization of KIBO (Japanese experimental module for International Space Station) and QZSS-1 (Quazi-Zenith Satellite System).

It was announced at the last plenary session, on 9 December, that the next Session, APRSAF-19, would be hosted by ANGKASA (Malaysia) and take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from December 11 to 14, 2012.

Overview

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JAXA puts emphasis on international cooperation, and currently most of the projects have been conducted through international cooperation.


United States and Canada

International cooperation between the United States and Japan started in 1969, when "The Japan-U.S. Joint Communique" on cooperation in the space development was exchanged. Since then, JAXA has been participating in international projects, which have been mainly led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) such as the International Space Station, by dispatching Japanese astronauts on Space Shuttle missions, earth observations, and scientific satellite missions.
We regularly hold a Japan-Canada Space Panel with the Canadian Space Agency to exchange opinions on earth observations, microgravity technology, and other fields in view of a long-term mutual cooperation agreement made in 1989. We are also cooperating as a partner in the International Space Station Project.


Europe and Russia

International cooperation between Europe and Japan started in 1972 with an exchange of information under the official notes concluded with the European Space Agency (ESA) on cooperation in space exploration.
With the start of the 1980's, Japan's involvement with European partners increased. This partnership now includes mutual support between the space agencies of Japan and France (the Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales: CNES) in the launch of earth observation satellites. And with Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), NASDA established a Mobile Tracking and Data Acquisition Station in Kiruna, Sweden. A space experiment was also conducted in cooperation with the Russian Space Agency (RSA), using the Russian space station, Mir. These activities help to further international cooperation in earth observation between Japan and its European partners. Russia is the only country in Europe which has previous experience in space-station operation, and its know-how can make a significant contribution to the International Space Station project.


Asia Pacific Region

As part of our cooperative relations with Asia-Pacific countries, we mutually receive data directly from earth observation satellites and conduct cooperative research using observation data with Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, China, Malaysia, and Korea. With the support of the Kiribati government, since 1976 NASDA has established a downrange station on Christmas Island. The station is currently maintained by JAXA. In 2006, JAXA and the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) signed the "Memorandum of Agreement in Aerospace Fields."


[Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum, APRSAF]

In 1993, Japan led the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF). The APRSAF holds a regular meeting on international cooperation in the Asian Pacific region and 26 countries from the region participate. In 2006, the "Sentinel-Asia (Asian supervisors)" was inaugurated to construct the "Asian disaster preparation and risk management system," comprising of 34 organizations from 18 countries and four international organizations.
In 2008, the Space Application for Environment (SAFE) project was established as a collaborative effort to monitor environmental changes on Earth by using earth observation satellites of the member countries of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), including JAXA's satellite "DAICHI."


International collaboration through international organizations such as the United Nations

JAXA actively participates and supports various activities as a member of global and regional organizations such as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS.) COPUOS discusses issues concerning exploration and peaceful uses of outer space and submits recommendations and proposals to the UN general assembly. CEOS was established in 1984 to coordinate technical issues and exchange information on earth observation satellite systems.
In the field of scientific satellites, it is significant to promote research under international cooperation. Cooperative work for space science is performed at various levels including the Inter-Agency Consultative Group (IACG) for space science, which was established thanks to the Halley’s Comet probe in the 1980s. Recently, in the field of scientific satellites, Japan shoulders a heavier responsibility as we have an increasing number of satellites that are loaded with onboard observation equipment developed by other countries.
In the area of lunar and planetary exploration, JAXA actively participated in a study of the Global Exploration Strategy (GES) by 14 space organizations in the world. We have since compiled the "GES: Framework for Coordination" (a framework document.) Currently, JAXA is a member of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, a mechanism to realize our collaborative activities specified in the framework document, and to carry out more specific studies.

Space Law

Several international conventions and principles, including the 1966 Outer Space Treaty, have been formally agreed on and decided for each country to utilize space.