Japan and the United States on Monday confirmed their desire to cooperate in the satellite monitoring of ships, a move apparently aimed at Chinese vessels and those from countries such as North Korea sailing near Japan.
In a joint statement, the two countries also said they have agreed on a legal framework for the provision of information on space debris from the United States to Japan given that such material sometimes endangers Earth-orbiting satellites.
The statement was issued after Japanese and U.S. officials held the first meeting of the bilateral Comprehensive Dialogue on Space, a new bilateral consultative framework, in Tokyo.