The science and technology ministry decided Tuesday to integrate three government-affiliated space agencies and create a new space development organization by fiscal 2003.
The three agencies -- all affiliated with the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry -- are the National Space Development Agency of Japan, the Institute of Space and Astronautic Science (ISAS), and the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), science minister Atsuko Toyama said.
The move is in line with the government's reform policy on government-affiliated special agencies. This is the first time since NASDA was established in 1969 that the government has undertaken such a drastic review of its space development policies.