The farthest individual star to ever have been photographed, whose light has taken 9 billion years to reach Earth, was captured using cosmic lenses in an international research project by institutions including the University of Tokyo.
The achievement was announced in the digital edition of Nature Astronomy, a British science journal, on April 3.
In the hopes of securing a spot for a Japanese astronaut to go to the moon, Japan will offer technical assistance to an international manned lunar exploration project that was announced by NASA.
The Committee of National Space Policy of the Cabinet Office decided to proceed with the project for technical assistance on Dec. 1, which will be included in the Basic Plan on Space Policy that is scheduled for revision soon.
Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi will stay at the International Space Station for about six months as part of the next ISS mission starting around the end of 2019, Japan's space agency said Tuesday.
It will be the third ISS mission for the 52-year-old astronaut following his earlier expeditions in 2005 and 2009. His training for the mission will start in Japan and the United States from Nov. 20.
Japan will launch a climate research satellite in December to analyze and forecast global warming-linked environmental changes, the science ministry said Friday.
The satellite, named Shikisai, will be placed in orbit 800 kilometers above the ground from where it will conduct long-term monitoring of cloud cover, levels of dust and aerosols in the atmosphere as well as ocean color, vegetation, snow and ice cover on the earth's surface.
The solar observational satellite Hinode captured images of the first total solar eclipse to unfold from coast to coast in the United States in a century on Aug. 21.
Photos of the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle were taken by an X-ray telescope on the Hinode for about 15 minutes while the satellite was passing off the West Coast, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
By Eiji Noyori and Kazuhiko Makita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff WritersOn July 30, Interstellar Technologies Inc., a start-up company based in Taiki, Hokkaido, conducted its first launch of a small rocket aiming for outer space. The rocket could not reach its target, but Interstellar Technologies expects to overcome that challenge in the next trial or later. There has been vigorous work in Japan's private sector to develop rockets that can reach space, and hopes for commercialization will be put to the test.
The small MOMO rocket, about 10 meters in length, was sent up in the evening from a test launch site in Taiki. However, about a minute into the flight, a malfunction occurred in which the rocket stopped transmitting location data, causing the engine to be shut off. It is estimated to have reached a maximum height of about 20 kilometers, which is far below the goal of outer space, which is 100 kilometers above the Earth.
Japan put a second satellite into orbit Thursday to enhance the precision of its global positioning system used in smartphones and car navigation equipment.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. launched an H-2A rocket carrying the government's quasi-zenith satellite Michibiki No. 2 in the morning from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan.
Visitors to the FlyStation Japan sports facility experience the thrill of "indoor skydiving" in a wind tunnel in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture. Strong wind blows upward in the tunnel, which is about 20 meters high and 4.5 meters in diameter. Participants can enjoy the sensation of flying through the air by changing their body position.
Japan's government is asking officials of local administrations, major railways, and telecommunications companies to confirm the integrity of their parts of the national emergency alert system.
Long a mystery of lunar science, the presence of oxygen on the surface of the moon has been known to scientists but not its origin.
Japan's space agency says its cargo ship Kounotori 6 has ended its mission after failing to test new technology for removing space debris.
The Japanese Defense Ministry's first communications satellite was successfully placed in orbit late Tuesday afternoon, part of the country's efforts to upgrade the Self-Defense Forces' communications network to better deal with security challenges. 
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced Dec 9, 2016, that it will mount "thin-film triple-junction" solar panels on the "Kounotori No. 6," a fueling plane for space stations.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Epsilon-2 rocket is seen on a launch pad at Uchinoura Space Center in Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, on the night of Dec. 14, 2016 during a launch simulation. JAXA's Epsilon-2, which uses a new type of solid fuel, is scheduled to lift off on Dec. 20.