Nipponica

Japan will seek to establish international rules for the removal of human-made objects in space that could pose collision risks to satellites and the International Space Station if left in orbit, according to officials.

By the end of March, the Cabinet Office, in cooperation with experts, aims to identify legal and procedural issues involved in clearing space debris, such as fragments of rockets and satellites.

The government aims to use input from an expert panel to lead global discussions on rules for disposing of space debris, timed to coincide with a 2026 meeting of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the officials said.

All power to them but if we can't agree on cleaning up the debris and pollution on the Earth's surface then there is no chance to reach some kind of consensus for the junk flying above our heads, out of sight.

On Thursday, Koike held a 15-minute meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the organisation’s headquarters in New York. There, she proposed that more of the UN’s offices be relocated to cities elsewhere in the world, including Tokyo.

“Tokyo would like to provide various types of support [to the UN],” Koike told reporters after the meeting, highlighting the city’s advantages over other locations, such as “public safety, security and now, with the weak yen, there are other positive aspects to life”.

Guterres acknowledged that his office had “received offers of cooperation from various countries and regions”, but declined to elaborate on the Japanese proposal or whether it might be pursued further.

The UN offices across the world are heavily weighted towards New York and Europe, with the base in Nairobi being the main exception. Tokyo is already an HQ for one UN body, the United Nations University so it would make sense as a new Asian base outside its primarily regional office in Bangkok (which is facing a huge funding problem this year).