Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond traveled to Japan Oct. 2-6 to deepen the bilateral space partnership and explore areas for enhanced cooperation.
Raymond attended meetings in Tokyo with Minister of Defense Hamada Yasukazu; National Space Policy Secretariat Director General Yasuyuki Kasai; Chief of Staff, Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff, Gen. Koji Yamazaki; and Chief of Staff, Japan Air Self-Defense Forces, Gen. Shunji Izutsu.
Raymond also visited the JASDF Air Defense Command headquarters at Yokota Air Base, where he met with Commander, Air Defense Command, Lt. Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura; and the JASDF Space Operations Group at Fuchu Air Base, where he met with Commander, Air Support Command, Lt. Gen. Ryusuke Morikawa.
Throughout his visit, Raymond underscored that the U.S.-Japan Alliance is a cornerstone of peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific, and welcomed Japan’s interest in working with the U.S. and other like-minded nations on establishing international norms of behavior in space.
The two sides agreed on the importance of ongoing bilateral space security cooperation to build a more resilient space architecture and highlighted potential areas for deeper cooperation such as space domain awareness; satellite communications; and positioning, navigation, and timing.
Raymond stressed the value of bilateral and multilateral education, training, and exercises to further promote interoperability. He also highlighted the Space Force’s desire to strengthen its relationship with the JASDF Space Operations Group.
Raymond additionally thanked Japan for its cooperation on hosted payloads, noting they would enhance the capabilities and resilience of U.S. and Japanese space systems.
The leaders further exchanged views on regional security concerns and discussed ways to address those challenges through cooperation in space.
Raymond earlier met with U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel and Commander, U.S. Forces Japan, Lt. Gen. Ricky N. Rupp.
