ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an overview of the Japanese space law that has developed during the first two decades of the 21st century to address the commercialisation of its space activities. The four statutes, namely the Basic Space Act, Space Activities Act, Remote Sensing Act, and Space Resources Act have successfully established a policy and regulatory framework over Japan’s space activities. The licensing system is flexible and friendly to the industry, besides being sufficiently open to foreign entities. The regulation’s transparency is also effective in enhancing the transparency to and trust from the international society. Given that new types of activities in outer space are constantly coming up, it is foreseen that the Japanese space law will continue its development to accommodate those activities.
