December 12, 2024 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Ministry of the Environment
National Institute for Environmental Studies

 The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Ministry of the Environment (MOE),Japan, the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have agreed to continue their cooperation on the observation of trace gases and air quality using Japan and US satellite data, and signed an Implementing Arrangement (IA) regarding this cooperation under the “Framework Agreement Between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation in Space Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, for Peaceful Purposes.”
 For understanding the distribution of trace gases across the globe, it is important to improve the observation accuracy and to increase the observation frequency when using remote-sensing technology.
 So far, the four agencies have conducted cooperation including cross-calibration of data obtained from Japan’s Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and GOSAT-2, and US’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) and OCO-3, and have realized the improvement of observation accuracy. Also, through the mutual exchange of observation data, the cooperation has contributed to understanding changes in the global distribution of trace gases.
 Reaffirming the importance of continuing the cooperation between Japan and the US, the cooperation is expanded to include GOSAT-GW and the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO), aiming to further improve the observation accuracy and uniformity as well as accelerating the mutual exchange of observation data. Through this cooperation, we expect to contribute to the international community’s work on atmospheric composition and the co-emission of trace gases and air quality-related gases.

Comments from JAXA/MOE/NIES/NASA:

JAXA
Futoshi Takiguchi, Vice President, Space Technology Directorate I:
 The trace gases concentration data from the GOSAT series, which has been observing the global atmosphere for over 15 years, is widely used and highly regarded around the world. Signing of this Implementing Arrangement signifies that Japan and the United States have decided to continue and further expand the cooperation by adding additional satellite data. Addressing climate change is an urgent issue for humanity, and JAXA will further cooperate with related organizations to promote activities such as mutual evaluation of satellite data, thereby contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society by 2050.

NASA
Karen St. Germain, Director of Earth Sciences:
 This Implementing Arrangement with Japan formally extends our cooperation and ensures our high-impact partnership will continue to thrive. The close collaboration of our science teams is the fuel that drives the success of our missions at NASA and at JAXA. We learn faster when we work together, and this Implementing Arrangement will enable significant advancement in our study of the atmosphere.

MOE
Yutaka Matsuzawa, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs:
 This arrangement will continue the existing cooperation between Japan and the U.S. and further strengthen the cooperative relationship between the two countries by accelerating the mutual use of data, including the addition of new satellites such as GOSAT-GW. We hope that the scientific results obtained through this cooperation will be utilized not only between Japan and the U.S., but also around the world through frameworks such as the Paris Agreement and the IPCC, in order to help solve social issues in various regions, such as greenhouse gas reduction and air pollution control.

NIES
Masahide Kimoto, Ph.D., President:
 The cooperation based on the Implementing Arrangement signed this time, between Japan’s GOSAT series and the United States’ OCO series, and further with TEMPO, the newest U.S. satellite launched last year, will be an important contribution to the international community, including not only Japan and the United States, but also numerous countries addressing climate change and air pollution issues. We look forward to the future research results that Japanese and U.S. scientists will achieve through their joint research.