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.

AREAS OF SPACE COOPERATION

Activities aboard the ISS have strong scientific value both for Italy and Japan. The use of the orbiting laboratory concerns the two in different application fields, including the observation system of cosmic rays within the project CALET (Calorimetric Electron Telescope) – a significant example of cooperation on the ISS. The seminar at the Italian Cultural Institute will also provide the perfect opportunity to present the results and the most recent information obtained from this experiment. Also, Italy and Japan are seen cooperating in monitoring natural disasters through satellite systems, as they have strong similarities in terms of seismic risk.