May 15 – Italy and Japan strengthened their space exploration agreements in using the International Space Station for observing Earth and monitoring natural disasters, science and technology. The Italian Institute of Culture in Tokyo organized for today a seminar by the “Italy and Japan: Space Cooperation Frontiers” emphasizing the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries in this field, and their fruitful collaboration thanks to the Italian Space Agency (ISA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). In light of this positive feedback, a new partnership is being pushed with the CIRA, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre, for the development of a new generation of unmanned space vehicle. The seminar is part of the “Italy in Japan 2013” initiatives, coordinated by the Italian Embassy in Tokyo whose “Focus on Science, Technology and Innovation” was inaugurated on April 16. In this framework, the Tenth Executive Programme Agreement of bilateral cooperation in science and technology, active between Italy and Japan since 1988, will be signed. The Italian Ambassador in Japan, Domenico Giorgi, will open the proceedings and the presidents of ASI and CIRA, Enrico Saggese, and JAXA, Naoki Okumura, will illustrate the activities of the two space agencies. Two astronauts, the Italian Roberto Vittori and the Japanese Soichi Noguchi, will also speak as they worked together in the International Space Station, and will share with the audience their professional experiences.
The Italian Space Agency continues its collaboration with Japan
