Credit: ESA
The European Space Agency has announced the opening of its first satellite office in Japan as the agency looks to deepen its cooperation with the country.
Japan and Europe’s space cooperation predates even ESA, with the country collaborating with the European Space Research Organisation, one of the agency’s precursor organisations. The Cooperation in Space Exploration Agreement between Japan and ESRO was signed in December 1972 and established a framework for the exchange of scientific and technical information.
The most recent agreement between the two countries, the Joint Statement on Next Big Cooperations, was signed in November 2024 and identifies potential areas for future joint missions in planetary defence, Earth observation, low Earth orbit exploration, and space science. According to ESA, its new office in Tokyo will support these joint initiatives, facilitate inter-agency coordination, and act as a gateway between European and Japanese stakeholders for both governmental and commercial space programmes.
ESA’s new office in Tokyo is located in the X-Nihonbashi Tower, which is marketed as a “space business co-creation hub.” The agency officially opened the office on 28 October, and it will initially be staffed by a single ESA representative.
“The establishment of an ESA presence in Japan signals our clear intention to elevate our cooperation with Japan across all domains of space, from Earth observation and planetary defence to science, human and robotic exploration, and commercialisation,” explained ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.
The ESA Tokyo office is the agency’s first in Asia. In addition to its facilities across Europe, the agency also maintains a presence in Ottawa, Canada, and Washington, DC, in the United States.
AloJapan.com