Country dossier · JPN

Japan

Leading space power

A sourced snapshot of Japan's posture in space — capability, institutions, orbital assets, law and people. Every figure carries its primary source; gaps are shown honestly, never filled with invented data.

Open Japan in the interactive workspace →

Capability tier

Leading space power

Launches to orbit from its own territory: yesLaunch sites on record: 4Nationals who have flown: 16

Source: ALL IN SPACE capability ladder · see methodology

Space agency

JAXA

National space agency · established 2003 · two-source verified

Source: UNOOSA · Worldwide Space Agencies directory

Satellites (owner state)

200

Counted from the GCAT May 2026 snapshot. The interactive workspace shows a live CelesTrak figure, which uses different owner-attribution rules and will differ.

Source: GCAT · General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (J. McDowell) · May 2026 snapshot

Ground stations

21

Source: ALL IN SPACE curated ground-station dataset (operator-sourced)

Space budget

$4.2B

Major spender · 2026 · JAXA

Source: Cabinet Office · Space Policy

National strategy

Basic Plan on Space Policy (2023 revision) (2023)

Cabinet-approved national space plan covering security, industry, science and disaster response, paired with the Space Security Initiative and implementation plan.

Source: Published national space strategies and policies

International space law

InstrumentStatus
Outer Space Treaty 1967Ratified
Rescue Agreement 1968Ratified
Liability Convention 1972Ratified
Registration Convention 1975Ratified
Moon Agreement 1979Not a party
Artemis Accords 2020Signatory (2020-10-13)

Source: Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space (1 January 2026)

Launch sites

  • Tanegashima Space CenterJAXA · Minamitane, Tanegashima Island, Kagoshima · orbital · since 1969
  • Uchinoura Space CenterJAXA · Kimotsuki, Kagoshima · orbital and suborbital · since 1962
  • Hokkaido Spaceport (Taiki)Space Cotan / Town of Taiki · Taiki, Hokkaido · orbital and suborbital (commercial) · since 2019
  • Spaceport KiiSpace One Co. · Kushimoto, Wakayama · orbital (commercial) · since 2024

Source: National launch site roster · ALL IN SPACE compilation

Astronauts

  • Toyohiro AkiyamaTBS / Soviet space program · first flight 1990 · First Japanese citizen in space; journalist (TBS)
  • Mamoru MohriJAXA / NASDA · first flight 1992 · First JAXA/NASDA astronaut
  • Chiaki MukaiJAXA / NASDA · first flight 1994 · First Japanese woman in space
  • Koichi WakataJAXA · first flight 1996 · First Japanese ISS commander
  • Takao DoiJAXA / NASDA · first flight 1997 · First Japanese to spacewalk
  • Soichi NoguchiJAXA · first flight 2005 · Flew on three different spacecraft
  • Akihiko HoshideJAXA · first flight 2008 · Second Japanese ISS commander
  • Naoko YamazakiJAXA · first flight 2010
  • Satoshi FurukawaJAXA · first flight 2011
  • Kimiya YuiJAXA · first flight 2015
  • Takuya OnishiJAXA · first flight 2016
  • Norishige KanaiJAXA · first flight 2017
  • Yusaku MaezawaPrivate (Roscosmos) · first flight 2021 · Private space tourist
  • Yozo HiranoPrivate (Roscosmos) · first flight 2021 · Private space tourist
  • Ayu YonedaJAXA · first flight 2023 · Selected 2023; not yet flown
  • Makoto SuwaJAXA · first flight 2023 · Selected 2023; not yet flown

Source: Astronaut biographies

Milestones

  • 1962First orbital launch from national soil
  • 1990First national in space
  • 2003JAXA established

Notable missions and contributions

  • Hayabusa2 (asteroid sample return 2020)
  • SLIM lunar lander (2024)
  • Kibo ISS module
  • HTV-X cargo vehicle (HTV-X1 maiden flight launched on H3 F7 on 26 Oct 2025, berthed to the ISS 30 Oct 2025; successor to the retired HTV/Kounotori)
  • H3 rocket (operational flagship launcher) and H-IIA (retired after its 50th and final flight on 28 June 2025 carrying GOSAT-GW, ~98% success rate over 2001-2025)
  • MICHIBIKI No. 6 / QZS-6 (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System) launched on the 5th H3 Launch Vehicle (H3 F5), 2 Feb 2025