Synergies in India-Japan Outer Space Policy

The ‘Special Strategic and Global' partnership of India and Japan has spilled into newer domains. Space cooperation has emerged as a promising domain in this regard, with projects such as Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) 2025 creating milestones in bilateral space cooperation. While this traditional approach of cooperation remains appreciable, this paper aims to look further. What is the degree of convergence in the space policy of India and Japan? To what extent are the Non-Government Entities (NGEs) like universities and private firms engaging in space research and development? This paper attempts to answer these questions by analysing the ‘NewSpace' development discourses in Japan and India. These discussions are critical to significantly influence space regulation or norm formulation practices that both countries aim to participate in. It is thus imperative to identify their challenges and establish a policy framework that suggests new dimensions of success for India-Japan space collaboration.