


TOKYO: Japan and the United Arab Emirates will further develop the space industrial base of both countries, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) announced on Wednesday.
METI Minister MUTO Yoshiharu met with UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Ahmed Al Jaber on Tuesday and decided that the plan will take place within the framework of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) between the two ministers, in collaboration with the UAE Space Agency and other organizations. The two sides hope to conclude and sign the MOC within a year.
The cooperation will be within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Initiative between the two countries and follows the outcome of the Japan-UAE Space Public-Private Workshop held in Abu Dhabi in December.
The workshop was co-hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Cabinet Office, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the Japan External Trade Organization and the UAE Space Agency, and deepened space cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides decided to begin discussions on formulating a roadmap for the development of the space industrial base of both countries and hold seminars to realize the roadmap.
Muto participated in the World Future Energy Summit in the UAE and held meetings with relevant ministers from both countries, looking to strengthen economic relations between the two countries.
In other space-related news, an MOU was signed between Space Data Corporation and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), the UAE’s space technology development organization, to build a digital twin of the lunar surface.
Minister Kono met with Khaldoon bin Abdulaziz Al-Qarshi al-Hassan, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday and discussed further expanding cooperation between the two countries.
Minister Kono also met with Minister Jaber to convey his gratitude for the stable supply of crude oil to Japan and to discuss stabilization of the international crude oil market. He also confirmed the progress of cooperation in the fields of climate change countermeasures and advanced technology.
In addition, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions announced a contract to supply heavy ion beam equipment to the Cleveland Clinic, and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company expressed its support for the CLEAN Initiative to reduce methane emissions from the LNG value chain.