This month, Australia is the host country for the annual Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSF), which is a Japanese-led initiative, bringing together space agencies, companies and academics from more than 40 countries across the region. APRSAF is a demonstration of international collaboration on space-based technologies – such as Earth observation (EO) and telecommunications. The meeting also serves as a diplomatic tool, a means to reach shared policy ends in the Asia-Pacific region.
The world is increasingly dependent on space-based services for economic and social needs. That might be in commercial interactions or security concerns, or the ability to respond to climate change and disasters. So it matters which countries Australia chooses to partner with, and where its dependencies lie.
Japan fully understands the opportunity of space technology collaboration as a policy lever. There is an opportunity for Australia and Japan to grow their existing space partnership and thereby contribute to greater regional and geopolitical interests.
Australia has always relied on foreign space technologies for satellite navigation and EO, however, the establishment of the Australian Space Agency in 2018 and Defence Space Command in 2022 signifies Australia’s more active role in space. While Australia may not yet have the same level of domestic satellite manufacturing and launch capabilities as other nations, it possesses strategic geographic advantages, especially for the “ground segment” supporting satellite capabilities, such as tracking stations, EO data downlink and processing, and space situational awareness. There is growing development in its space sector, along with a demonstrated willingness to collaborate closely with international partners.
Japan has been a spacefaring nation for decades, with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) strong track-record in launch vehicles, space robotics, and space exploration, and it being the first country to successfully return an asteroid sample to Earth with the Hayabusa mission. The Japanese government has placed a strong emphasis on nurturing its space economy, particularly through public-private partnerships, with a target of reaching a $17 billion space economy by the early 2030s. This commitment aligns with its national space policy, and the concurrent enactment of domestic space legislation governing commercial and military activities in outer space.
Japan and Australia already collaborate on space exploration missions. Australia hosted the successful return of JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft return capsule in South Australia, requiring high-level cooperation between Japanese and Australian government agencies. Coupled with Australia’s policy objectives to boost its Asia capability, this achievement marked a significant milestone in the Australia-Japan relationship, paving the way for closer ties between the two countries. Following from this, in 2022, during the visit from Japan’s then prime minister Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia will provide landing sites for the JAXA mission to Mars.
Australia and Japan are also building stronger security ties, with the recent signing of the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, and their membership of the Quad. Similarly, the Japan-Australia Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), Japan’s first RAA with an international partner since 1960, is a treaty that streamlines information sharing, cyberspace activities and defence technology cooperation – key functions linked to outer space. There is an opportunity to combine this trust on security issues with the existing civil space exploration partnership between the two nations, to achieve shared commitments in the region. This would reflect an evolving trend in regional geopolitics, where space technology cooperation serves as a platform for wider regional cooperation.
It means that smaller nations can also benefit from trusted nations providing the space-based services they need, and that China has less of a technological foothold in the region.
It is the extension into non-traditional domains – technology partnerships, disaster response and regional development – that further highlights the strategic potential of these two nations.
Space capabilities such as EO data and satellite communications provide vital tools for responding to disasters, from bushfires and earthquakes to tsunamis. Shared satellite services and data coordination can lead to better-prepared communities and more efficient disaster relief operations.
Extending space diplomacy to support regional development could be another area of collaboration, given that engagement with the Pacific region is a central element of both Australian and Japanese foreign policy. Japan’s EO and satellite navigation systems provide Pacific Island nations with improved maritime surveillance, essential for monitoring natural disasters and tracking illegal maritime activities. Australia is a world leader in the quality assurance and distribution of EO data, providing essential ground infrastructure to the US Landsat program for many decades, and being a core partner in the new generation Landsat Next program.
Rather than remaining a beneficiary of Japan’s EO data, there is an opportunity for Australia to become a key contributor to regional EO infrastructure, and a major partner to Japan in achieving shared geopolitical and development interests in the region. By collaborating on such joint space capabilities, Australia and Japan can bolster the Blue Pacific agenda and contribute further to the Pacific Islands Forum and United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, reaffirming their commitment to the Pacific.
For this larger space partnership to take place, Australia and Japan must align their diplomatic efforts towards a shared vision. This involves ensuring space is part of the mainstream in bilateral relations, strengthening institutional exchanges for space research, and creating an inclusive framework for regional participation. Space partnership must be seen as equal and not neo-colonial, particularly by neighbouring beneficiaries.
Close space diplomacy across civilian and military domains has laid a concrete foundation, showing the potential of combined space efforts. Yet it is the extension into non-traditional domains – technology partnerships, disaster response and regional development – that further highlights the strategic potential of these two nations. Together, Australia and Japan can not only elevate their bilateral relationship but for a more resilient and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.
