The European Space Agency (ESA) is setting up its first office in Asia, choosing Tokyo, Japan, as its base to strengthen ties with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Japan’s growing space industry.

The new ESA office will be located in X-NIHONBASHI, a major innovation hub in Tokyo, and aims to deepen collaboration with Japanese space startups, researchers, and government agencies.

The announcement was made on October 28, 2025, during Nihonbashi Space Week by ESA’s Director of Strategy, Legal and External Matters, Eric Morel de Westgaver. He highlighted over 50 years of cooperation between Europe and Japan, including joint missions like EarthCARE, BepiColombo, and Hera.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said the move reflects ESA’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Japan in areas such as Earth observation, planetary defence, exploration, and commercial space ventures.

JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa welcomed the decision, noting that ESA’s presence will help strengthen communication and collaboration between the two agencies. He referenced the Joint Statement on Next Big Cooperations signed in November 2024, which outlines future joint missions.

ESA’s Tokyo office will be housed in the X-IHONBASHI TOWER, a space business hub operated by Mitsui Fudosan and Cross U. The facility brings together startups, academia, and government players to foster innovation.

With shared goals like sustainable space use and climate monitoring, ESA and Japan continue to build a strong partnership that supports global space exploration and science.