TOKYO: NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is expected to visit Japan in October to sign an agreement on US.-Japan cooperation on lunar exploration, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel has said.

Japan takes part in the US-led Artemis international lunar probe project.

The United States and Japan are also expected to agree to start full-fledged talks on the conclusion of a bilateral framework accord on space cooperation, Emanuel told reporters Wednesday.

Emanuel criticized Russia for planning to pull out of the International Space Station, which is jointly operated by the United States, Japan, Russia and European countries, saying that Moscow is not only violating the sovereignty of Ukraine but also turning its back on international cooperation in the civilian use of space.

He suggested that Japan’s role in the space sector is expected to increase.

Yury Borisov, head of Russia’s space company Roscosmos, said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the country’s withdrawal from the ISS after the end of the current joint operation until 2024 has been decided.

JIJI Press