NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other leaders to NASA Headquarters in Washington on Friday, Jan. 13. Blinken and Hayashi Yoshimasa, Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, signed an agreement that will build on the two nations’ commitment to the peaceful, transparent exploration of space. Known as the “Framework Agreement Between the Government of Japan and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation in Space Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, For Peaceful Purposes,” this pact recognizes a mutual interest in peaceful exploration. It completes work from President Joe Biden’s May 2022 visit to Japan. Japan also was one of the original signatories of the Artemis Accords.