Manila: The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) announced on Tuesday that industry partnership and exploring space cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will continue. Both agencies have signed a joint declaration of interest in space cooperation last May 27, during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s state visit to Japan.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Philippines and Japan have a strong history of cooperation in space activities. In November 2025, they co-organized the 31st Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum in Cebu, said to be the largest space forum in the region. PhilSA also noted that this year marks 20 years of Sentinel Asia, an international cooperation project led by JAXA and the Asian Disaster Reduction Center that contributes to disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region. The center provides a framework to request and utilize satellite data for rapid disaster assessment and response.

From 2024 to 2025, a total of 20 emergency observation requests were made through Sentinel Asia by different Philippine institutions. Most of these requests were related to floods, landslides, and storms; two were for earthquakes; one for an oil spill; and one for volcanic activity. Beyond disaster management and space education, the recent joint declaration articulated that President Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 'shared the view that development and cooperation harnessing technological innovation are essential to sustainable prosperity' and also decided to deepen cooperation in the fields of space and digital transformation towards attaining food security,' PhilSA said.