The Japan-America Society of Washington DC and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) invite you to attend
50 Years Since Apollo:
The Indispensable U.S.-Japan Space Partnership
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When: August 2nd, 2019 from 11:30am to 2:30pm
Where: 2043-2044 Rayburn House Office Building
Registration: Click
HERE to register no later than Thursday, August 1.
(Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis)
~ Lunch will be provided ~
50 years ago, Apollo 11 astronauts set foot on the moon, benchmarking human progress in a way no other event before it had. The event was also deeply significant for geopolitical reasons, marking an important American victory in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. In the 50 intervening years, our relationship with space has diversified. Space is now an essential domain for even mundane human activities. Space has also become a vastly more complex and diverse field for geopolitical competition—and collaboration.
The Americans and Soviets are no longer the world’s sole space powers. Japan is now counted among the forefront of nations with mastery over four key realms of space activities—satellites, rockets, science, and human space activities. Given that Japan is the U.S.’s most important bilateral alliance partner, space has become a critical domain in U.S.-Japan defense collaboration. Moreover, with the depth of commercial, scientific, and legal engagement between the U.S. and Japan, the U.S. and Japan have become important partners in each other’s capabilities and ambitions in the civil space realm as well.
Join Japan-America Society of Washington DC and our event partner JAXA, for an August 2nd event on Capitol Hill that explores the critical role that space has come to play in the U.S.-Japan relationship. The event features a conversation between Japanese Astronaut Koichi Wakata and American Astronaut Dan Tani, remarks from the head of the United States National Space Council Scott Pace, and a panel conversation between American Japanese experts and officials. The program will connect the dots between the human fascination with space, our national economic and defense interests in space, and the current and future collaborations between the U.S. and Japan in the space domain. Additional support for the program comes from IHI and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America.
11:30-11:40
Welcome and Overview
Ryan Shaffer, President, Japan-America Society of Washington DC
11:40-12:30
Astronauts’ Dialogue: U.S.-Japan Partnership in Manned Space
Dan Tani, U.S. Astronaut; Director of Grants, U.S.-Japan Foundation
Koichi Wakata, Japanese Astronaut; Vice President, JAXA
12:30-12:40
Break
12:40-1:25
Insights from July 2019 U.S.-Japan Comprehensive Dialogue on Space
Scott Pace, Executive Secretary of the U.S. National Space Council (Pending)
Moderator: Abigail Friedman, Wisteria Group
1:25-1:30
Break
1:30-2:30
Panel Discussion: Connecting the Dots, Space and U.S.-Japan Shared National Interests
- Masao Akiyama, Vice President and General Manager, IHI, Inc.
- John Hill, Principal Director for Space Policy, USDOD (Pending)
- Ron Lopez, President and Managing Director, Astroscale U.S., Inc.
- Masami Onoda, Director, Washington, D.C. Office, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Moderator: Frank Jannuzi, President & CEO, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation
