Japan, US To Join Hands For Moon Mission—Report

The US and Japanese governments have agreed to enhance their collaboration in space that could see Japanese astronauts getting to the moon.

US President Donald Trump held a joint press conference in Tokyo on May 27, 2019, along with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in which he mentioned about cooperation in the area of space exploration as one of the outcomes of his visit to Japan.

At the press conference, President Trump stated that he was pleased to announce that there has been an agreement between the two heads of state regarding the cooperation between the US and Japan in space exploration. Speaking to the reporters, he said that Japan would join the United States in missions to Moon and Mars. However, both the leaders stopped short of elaborating the agreement and its nature.

However, a fact sheet that was published on May 27 stated that the two leaders had come to an agreement in regards to the importance of increased human presence on the moon and around it. The sheet also stated that riding high on the experience of joining hands in the construction of the International Space Station Japanese astronauts will join their US counterparts on the moon and other destinations in deeper space.

However, such an agreement was very much in the offing during the US state visit to Japan, as the East Asian Empire is very much a noted contributor in the construction and maintenance of the ISS. Japan has also stated its expression of interest in the new endeavor of NASA to get back to the moon. NASA aims at setting up lunar modules, which will be parts of a Gateway Facility that it is planning to develop in the orbit of the moon. The facility will help in future manned spacecraft on the moon.