In October 2022, the U.S.-Japan Space Forum gathered in Tokyo for its 12th meeting to discuss recent changes in the operating environment for space businesses, government policy towards outer space, and the applications of space to traditional domains like maritime domain awareness. Forum members put together the attached brief outlining the key takeaways and policy recommendations stemming from the discussion. A few highlights:
- The war in Ukraine shows the essential role of satellites for wartime strategy making, and the nations of the world must act now to harden these systems and prepare sufficient contingency planning.
- Emerging spacefaring nations, such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Australia, must be considered and directly involved in the conversation about creating standardized licensing and certification to ensure that any U.S.-Japan framework will be built to accommodate new partners rather than exclude them.
- The United States and Japan should work with regional partners to invest in and support the growth of maritime domain awareness as a common good for all nations, including the ones which lack or possess limited space capabilities.
- Both the U.S. Government and the Government of Japan should continue the trend of increasing investment in their respective military space branches, namely the Space Force and the Space Operations Squadron, so that these services can expand their ability to pursue international capacity building exercises, provide public goods, and promote space sustainability.
For a full list of takeaways and recommendations, see the attached document: XII Space Forum Takeaways & Recommendations
Staff writer: Kelly Primrose