Japan-EU Space Public-Private Workshop Held

Based on the Joint Statement on the Japan-EU Competitiveness Alliance issued at the 30th Japan-EU Summit held in July 2025, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026,　METI and DG DEFIS co-hosted the Japan-EU Space Public-Private Workshop in Brussels, Belgium, to promote space-sector cooperation between Japan and the EU.

More than 60 participants from the public and private space sectors attended the workshop. Participants from Japan included government officials led by Takahama Wataru, Director, Space Industry Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau, METI, and officials from the Cabinet Office and the Mission of Japan to the European Union, as well as representatives of startups engaged in space-related business and 16 Japanese companies, including major firms. From the EU, government officials, including Catherine Kavvada, Director for Secure and Connected Space, DG DEFIS, and 14 space-related companies attended the workshop.

In the workshop, views were exchanged on each side’s efforts to build satellite constellations and initiatives related to Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management (STM), and discussions were held on the direction of cooperation between Japan and the EU.

Specifically, Japan and the EU shared the challenges they face and ongoing initiatives, and, as both sides seek to establish and strengthen sovereign space capabilities, discussed methods of pursuing complementary cooperation to enhance the autonomy of both sides by ensuring mutual interoperability. It was also agreed to continue to hold workshops going forward.

Division in Charge

Space Industry Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau