Japan has signaled its readiness to back the United States’ scaled-down lunar exploration efforts, following a proposed $6 billion cut to NASA’s budget that could significantly reshape the ambitious Artemis programme.
Speaking at a monthly press briefing on Friday, Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), emphasized Tokyo’s continued commitment to lunar exploration in partnership with the U.S., despite financial uncertainties.
“If the U.S. is considering more budget-friendly alternatives, we must be prepared to support that direction,” Yamakawa stated, in response to the budget proposal introduced by former President Donald Trump earlier this month.
The plan aims to redirect NASA’s focus toward Mars, potentially scrapping or restructuring key components of the Artemis programme, including the Gateway—a space station initially planned to orbit the Moon as part of future missions.
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Artemis, a U.S.-led lunar initiative launched during Trump’s first term, has grown into a multibillion-dollar collaboration involving Japan, the European Space Agency (ESA), Canada, and other partners. Its goal is to return humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972 and eventually pave the way for deeper space missions.
Japan has already committed to the Artemis initiative by signing an agreement with NASA to include two Japanese astronauts and a Toyota-developed lunar rover in upcoming missions. However, with the future of the Gateway station in limbo, the nature of Japan’s contributions may shift.
NASA has indicated that components of the Gateway already in development could be repurposed for other missions, and international partners would still have a role to play in the revised strategy.
JAXA, which has co-developed a habitation module for the Gateway with ESA and plans to use its HTV-X cargo spacecraft for resupply missions, is now considering alternative avenues of cooperation.
“Even if it’s not called ‘Gateway,’ similar infrastructure is essential for sustained lunar activity, and we intend to contribute,” Yamakawa affirmed.
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He also highlighted Japan’s potential to provide high-precision landing technology, resupply capabilities, advanced rovers, and crucial lunar water data—particularly from a joint mission with India set to launch soon.
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher has echoed concerns about the proposed U.S. budget cuts, noting that ESA is in ongoing discussions with NASA to assess the full implications for European participation.
As competition between the U.S. and China intensifies in the space arena, both nations are actively building alliances and leveraging private sector innovation to strengthen their lunar and deep-space capabilities. According to Kota Umeda, a Research Fellow at Tokyo’s Institute of Geoeconomics, the U.S. is unlikely to abandon its strategic advantage of strong international partnerships.
“It’s hard to imagine the U.S. discarding such valuable collaboration, especially in the face of growing space rivalry with China,” Umeda noted. “Even if Artemis is scaled back, Washington will likely work with Japan and Europe to ensure mutual success while preserving each partner’s contributions.”
As the global space landscape evolves, Japan remains steadfast in its role as a reliable partner in lunar exploration—ready to adapt, innovate, and continue pushing the boundaries of space exploration alongside the U.S. and other allies.
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