SpaceMiningData
National statuteJapanIn force

Japan: Act on Launching of Spacecraft, etc. and Control of Spacecraft (Space Activities Act, Act No. 76 of 2016)

Japan's general space activities licensing law. Art. 20(1) requires a Prime Minister's permit for each satellite managed from ground equipment in Japan; the 2021 Space Resources Act attaches space resources business-activity plans to this permit.

Facts

Level
National statute
Scope
National
Country
Japan
Citation
平成二十八年法律第七十六号 (Act No. 76 of 2016), promulgated 16 November 2016
Adopted
2016-11-16
In force
2018-11-15
Status
In forceSpace resources permits granted in 2022 and 2024 were issued as satellite-management permits under this Act (Cabinet Office permit numbers 衛星22-019, 衛星24-025). The Cabinet Office application page states full commencement on 15 November 2018, with applications accepted from 15 November 2017. A separate Cabinet Office notice dated 8 July 2026 says amendment Act No. 39 of 2026 was enacted on 11 June and promulgated on 17 June 2026. Its Basic Space Act amendments take effect on promulgation; its other amendments take effect on a date set by Cabinet Order within one year of promulgation. No such commencement order was opened in this narrow review; the amendment is not assumed to be fully in force.

Resource provisions

A paraphrase followed by the source wording.

No resource-specific provision; supplies the Art. 20(1) satellite-management permit to which the Space Resources Act (Act No. 83 of 2021) attaches resource business-activity plans.

人工衛星ごとに、内閣総理大臣の許可を受けなければならない [1]

Authorizations that cite it

CountryHolder and missionInstrumentGrantedLinked mission
JapanJapan Space Resources Act permit to ispace for HAKUTO-R Mission 1 (2022)Holder: ispace, inc.Space resources authorization2022-11-04GrantedHAKUTO-R Mission 1 (ispace M1 lander)Flew. Outcome: failure
JapanJapan Space Resources Act permit to ispace for Mission 2 (RESILIENCE) (2024)Holder: ispace, inc.Space resources authorization2024-12-17GrantedSMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon (ispace Mission 2, RESILIENCE lander)Flew. Outcome: failure

Open evidence gaps

  • The original commencement order and the operative provisions and commencement order for the 2026 amendment have not been opened. The Cabinet Office independently states the original Act's full commencement date.

Sources

4 sources
  1. [1]人工衛星等の打上げ及び人工衛星の管理に関する法律（平成二十八年法律第七十六号）(e-Gov law data)
    Digital Agency, Government of Japan (e-Gov)LegislationPublished 2016-11-16Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: summary, resource provisionsarticle 第二十条第一項 (Article 20(1))
    人工衛星ごとに、内閣総理大臣の許可を受けなければならない
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  2. [2]Space Activities Act information and application acceptance
    Cabinet Office, Government of JapanGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-17Supports: in-force date, status explanation, open evidence gapssection 2. Applications, (1) Application acceptance; Heisei29=2017, Heisei30=2018.
    申請受付は、平成29年11月15日（水）より開始しています（施行期日は平成30年11月15日（木）です）。
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  3. [3]Cabinet Office notice dated 8 July 2026 on amendment Act No. 39 of 2026
    Cabinet Office, Government of JapanGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-17Supports: status explanationsection Opening dated notice paragraph; Reiwa8=2026.
    令和８年６月11日、「人工衛星等の打上げ及び人工衛星の管理に関する法律等の一部を改正する法律」（令和８年法律第39号。以下「改正法」といいます。」）が成立し、同月17日に公布されました。
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
  4. [4]Cabinet Office notice dated 8 July 2026 on amendment Act No. 39 of 2026
    Cabinet Office, Government of JapanGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-17Supports: status explanation, open evidence gapssection Commencement bullets: Basic Space Act amendments on promulgation; other amendments on Cabinet Order date within one year.
    公布の日から起算して１年を超えない範囲内において政令で定める日
    Quote matched the source text when accessed.

Cite this record

SpaceMiningData, “Japan: Act on Launching of Spacecraft, etc. and Control of Spacecraft (Space Activities Act, Act No. 76 of 2016)”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/laws/japan-space-activities-2016.html. Record checked 2026-09-25.