The May issue of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy Volume 18 (2023): Issue 2-3 (May 2023) has been devoted completely to the special topic of space diplomacy “The Final Frontier of Theory and Practice”, Mai’a K. Davis Cross and Saadia M. Pekkanen editors.
In addition to the introduction by co-editors, S. Pekkanen has also written one of the 11 research articles, entitled ‘Japan’s Space Diplomacy in a World of Great Power Competition’. PLUS podcast interview on this topic (link below.)
This article probes Japan’s space diplomacy in a world returned to great power competition. Today, Japan’s space diplomacy manifests in a wide variety of contexts at the global, regional and bilateral levels. The principal argument is that the Japanese state is responding to gathering external threats through diplomacy that communicates, persuades and bargains in the country’s science, economic and military space interests. This proactive positioning allows Japan to situate its advanced technologies in the context of fierce economic competition, cultivate an image as a pacifist and responsible actor in the turbulent international order, and set pragmatic expectations about building peaceful prospects in outer space.
Research articles are followed by four papers written by practitioners in the field of space diplomacy and offer perspectives as leaders in space-related institutions and exploration.