Japan to Double Space Spending Over 10 Years

Japan’s Daily Yomiuri newspaper reports that Japan’s Strategic Headquarters for Space Policy has recommended that the government more than double spending on Japan’s space industry, from 7 trillion yen to 15 trillion yen, over the next 10 years.

The Strategic Headquarters for Space Policy was created by Japan’s Basic Space Law in 2008. It is chaired by the Prime Minister. The advisory panel met Tuesday for the first time since the Democratic Party of Japan took power last fall. The newspaper also reported that a proposal to create a new agency to promote the space development industry was set aside “due to strong opposition within the coalition government.”