Japan spaceport, AI disinformation on agenda as U.S. summit nears

Envisioned Japanese facility would launch American rockets

A modified Boeing 747 takes flight carrying Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket, in Mojave, California, in 2021. Japan hopes to handle such horizontal launches at a spaceport to be set up in Oita prefecture. © Reuters

RYUTO IMAO, SHIMPEI KAWAKAMI and KOHEI SAKAI, Nikkei staff writers

April 8, 2024 04:01 JST

Updated on April 8, 2024 05:57 JST

TOKYO -- Cooperation on building a spaceport in Japan to launch American rockets and stronger collaboration to fight disinformation generated by artificial intelligence are among the issues to be discussed in conjunction with Wednesday's bilateral summit in Washington.

With Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden, the two sides hope to kick off talks toward an agreement to keep American rocket technologies out of the wrong hands. Many rocket-related technologies can be applied to missiles, and Washington has sought such an agreement when it launches rockets abroad.