The government on Tuesday approved a plan to join a U.S.-proposed project to build a new space station orbiting the moon, hoping for a chance to send Japanese astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time.
The move comes amid lingering doubts over U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal, which did not detail how it would fund the push to return astronauts to the moon.
Under its basic space policy road map, Japan is aiming to contribute to the U.S.-led project, expected to be completed in the latter half of the 2020s, by providing an unmanned cargo ship and technology that prevents space radiation from harming astronauts.