April 2024 will mark 10 years since JICA and JAXA concluded a partnership agreement. Mr. Masahiro Nakamura, Director of JAXA Bangkok Representative Office, and Mr. Shunsuke Takahi, Director of STI-DX Office, Governance and Peacebuilding Department, JICA, will talk passionately about what this partnership, which has brought out the potential of development cooperation and space technology, has produced so far and how it will develop in the future. Shunsuke Takahi, Director of the STI-DX Office, Governance and Peacebuilding Department, JICA, will speak passionately about the collaboration.
From left, Shunsuke Takahi, Director, STI-DX Office, Governance and Peacebuilding Division, JICA, and Kazuhiro Nakamura, Director, JAXA Bangkok Representative Office
Helping to curb illegal logging in 80 countries
Takahi: Of the various collaborations with JAXA over the past decade, one of the most significant achievements was the JICA-JAXA Tropical Forest Early Warning System (JJ-FAST), which contributed to the control of illegal logging. Using data from the Daichi-2 satellite, which can make observations regardless of weather and cloud cover, we were able to develop and operate this system for early detection of tropical deforestation.
Nakamura: All of us at JAXA are very proud that we were able to detect illegal logging in 80 countries. It is of course important to develop and perfect a technology, but it is also a great pleasure for us as a research and development organization to see the benefits of that technology for the social economy and the global environment. The appreciation we received from the governments of Brazil and other countries involved was also a great motivation.
CG image of JAXA’s Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 “Daichi-2” (ALOS-2) (Image courtesy of JAXA)
Takahi: In Brazil, JICA has been able to improve the forest management capacity of the Brazilian government through the operation of JJ-FAST and the development of a prediction system for illegal deforestation in the Amazon using AI technology, a typical JICA cooperation. 80 developing countries shared satellite data to curb illegal logging. This series of projects was also an opportunity for JICA to learn how to cooperate using satellite data, space technology, and open innovation.
With an increasing number of developing countries establishing new space agencies, collaboration with JAXA is also essential for the development of space human resources. the Space Technology Utilization Network Initiative (JJ-NeST), which began in 2019, to practitioners and researchers, mainly in Southeast Asia, who will be responsible for the development and utilization of space technology in their countries in the future, JAXA provides opportunities to learn cutting-edge technologies from JAXA researchers and other practitioners in the private sector, and also supports study at Japanese graduate schools.
Nakamura: JJ-FAST is a direct effort to protect the environment and improve problems by providing solutions to current and emerging social issues through the use of technology. On the other hand, human resource development such as JJ-NeST is an initiative for the future, looking 10 to 15 years into the future. I look forward to working with them one day, as they make the most of their studies in Japan and the contacts they have cultivated.
Mr. Masahiro Nakamura, Director of JAXA’s Bangkok Representative Office
Further Expanding Possibilities for Satellite Data Utilization
Takahi: In the field of disaster prevention, we are also emphasizing collaboration with “Sentinel Asia “*1 , which is a partnership of three parties: space agencies that provide satellite data, research institutes that analyze the data, and government agencies that utilize the data. In recent years, many developing countries have expressed a desire to utilize satellite data to solve various social issues, such as when the Rwanda Space Agency contacted the JICA office to ask if satellite data could be used for reconstruction measures.
Nakamura: I am currently stationed in Bangkok, and in Southeast Asia, where rice cultivation is thriving, satellite data is being utilized in the agricultural sector. We are researching and developing applications that combine satellite earth observation data with AI to monitor agricultural weather, and are working on timely monitoring of crop conditions and yield forecasts for rice cultivation areas so that yields can be increased more efficiently. In Thailand and other countries in the region, we are also working to promote smart agriculture by developing “electronic reference points” that are installed on the ground to obtain highly accurate location information from satellites, thereby promoting the automatic operation of farm machinery.
1 Sentinel Asia: An international cooperation project that aims to contribute to disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region by utilizing space technology.
Screen shot of INAHOR, an application developed by JAXA to estimate paddy rice acreage and yield by combining satellite data from DAICHI-2 and AI.
Takahi: The potential for satellite data utilization is certainly expanding. In the health field, satellite data can be expected to be used to understand how infectious diseases spread, and it is also possible to link this to improving people’s income and livelihood. Our office is working to promote the use of space technology and satellite data in all of JICA’s initiatives.
Nakamura: One of the initiatives we have recently started is the “Project to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Paddy Fields. In fact, paddy fields emit an unexpectedly large amount of methane gas due to the action of microorganisms. We are now conducting a demonstration project that aims to control water levels and reduce methane gas emissions while maintaining yields by combining satellite data from space using the Daichi-2 satellite to measure water levels in rice paddies, IoT sensors on the ground, and emissions calculation methods. If this becomes possible, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can be converted into emission credits, which farmers can trade to increase their income, leading to the elimination of poverty, which is one of the SDGs. This project was launched in the Philippines last summer, and is now being planned for implementation in Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries in the region. We look forward to working with JICA, which is well versed in local conditions and has a strong network in the region, on this kind of initiative.
Another key point is that this initiative is not being pursued solely by JAXA. In the Philippines case, private companies, JAXA, JETRO, local universities, local government, and farmers are working together to promote this project. The goal is to advance innovation through global partnerships among diverse players, and in the future, the project will be commercialized by the private sector to solve social issues through sustainable activities with the power of the economy.
Takahi: I would very much like to work with you, and the revised Outline of Development Cooperation in September 2023 indicates that “co-creation” and “international brain circulation “*2 will be key. Of course, there is a need for traditional intergovernmental efforts. However, in order to further utilize space technology and satellite data to solve global-scale issues and various development problems in developing countries in the future, I believe it is important for JICA and JAXA to serve as a hub and collaborate with various players, including start-ups, universities, and research institutes.
To this end, for example, we would like to launch JJ-NeST as a platform for human resource development, and in the future, we would like to promote efforts to connect developing countries with local governments, universities, and local companies that promote industrial development in the space field.
2 International Brain Circulation: A process that promotes global innovation through the exchange and collaboration of highly skilled and knowledgeable people across countries.
Shunsuke Takahi, Director, STI and DX Office, Governance and Peacebuilding Division, JICA
Nakamura: In 2022, JAXA and other organizations in industry, academia, and government will gather to create the future together through the power of satellite earth observation, and have established the Consortium for Satellite Earth Observation (CONSEO). Currently, we have started to collaborate with more than 200 organizations and corporations, including JICA, private companies, and local governments, so that satellite earth observation can further contribute to the social economy. As I am in charge of global development in this consortium, I hope to work together with JICA to create a variety of co-creations, with both organizations serving as the central hub of this community.
Space activities are a means of solving social issues in a sustainable manner.
Takahi: I believe that one of the reasons why developing countries are accelerating their efforts to establish space agencies and to have their own satellites is their awareness of the international situation and security environment. It is extremely important that emerging space countries see Japan as a reliable partner, and we would like to respond to their needs.
Nakamura: I believe that each country has its own background in solving social issues and desire for economic growth. JAXA can provide technology to address these issues. However, JAXA does not have information on local social issues and partners. That is why collaboration with JICA is important.
In the future, our ideal and goal is not to see JICA and JAXA as the only active players, but to see us as a bridge between diverse players and the social economy at the center of communities such as CONSEO, making space activities an integral part of the social economy. Sustainable space activities will lead to sustainable solutions to social issues. Let’s firmly create the ground for various partners to tackle global-scale issues from a global perspective and a space perspective.
TAKAHI Forty-five JICA staff members and others received training at JAXA’s Tsukuba Space Center last September. The purpose of this training is to utilize satellite utilization and space technology to solve problems in various development cooperation fields that JICA is working on. We believe that space technology and solution services of private companies can be brushed up only in the field of development. It would be great if Japanese space startups that have worked with JICA and JAXA to solve problems in developing countries would grow into a company of the scale of SpaceX.
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