4th EU-Japan Public and Private GNSS Roundtable Meeting by the Cabinet Office and the European Commission

The Cabinet Office, Government of Japan and the European Commission jointly held the 4th EU-Japan Public and Private GNSS Roundtable Meeting at the Mita Conference Center in Minato City, Tokyo on March 14.

The EU-Japan Public and Private GNSS Roundtable Meeting, held collaboratively by Japan and the European Union (EU) on the usage of satellite positioning, started with the first roundtable at The Hague in the Netherlands in June 2016. The second roundtable took place in Tokyo in March 2017, when the Cabinet Office and the European Commission signed a Cooperation Arrangement for identifying priority industrial fields for utilizing satellite positioning, creating new businesses and services, and strengthening policy cooperation between Japan and the EU. A delegation led by the Cabinet Office’s National Space Policy Secretariat visited Germany for the third roundtable in Munich in March 2018.

This fourth roundtable was attended by more than 20 participants from the EU, drawing government officials, corporations, and other Japanese and European people with ties to the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) and Galileo. It included result reports and communication between the participants.

The opening remarks were given by Mr. Shuzo Takada, director-general, National Space Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office and Mr. Pierre Delsaux, deputy director-general, DG GROW, European Commission. Mr. Takada stated that EU-Japan satellite positioning collaboration started in 2016 and has already achieved various results. He said, “We have cultivated knowledge for the practical usage of QZSS and Galileo services through this partnership, and I believe it offers major benefits to the industries of both countries. At this roundtable meeting, exchanges of views between members of Japanese and European industries from the viewpoint of utilizing QZSS and Galileo services can inspire joint EU-Japan businesses. I also hope EU-Japan cooperation will also lead to strengthened international competitiveness for both.”

In the morning, persons from Japan and the EU presented on the latest QZSS and Galileo information. There were also presentations on the results of QZSS/Galileo collaboration, including a QZSS early warning system proof-of-concept in Australia, and a dual-frequency SBAS proof-of-concept using a QZSS signal for experiments. The presentation on the early warning system proof-of-concept was a joint effort by Mr. Yasuhiko Kawazu, deputy director, QZSS Strategy Office, National Space Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office and Mr. Frederic Domps, policy officer, Galileo/EGNOS Applications, DG GROW, European Commission.

Program/Presentation materials

During the afternoon, sessions were held by Japanese and European corporations and research institutions on three fields: Automotive, Agriculture, and GNSS Trends (Drone Technologies). The Automotive session included many case studies about how companies are utilizing high-precision QZSS and Galileo positioning for automated driving systems. The Agriculture session described the results of initiatives and research for applying highly accurate satellite positioning technologies to agricultural equipment automatic control, remote operation, and other tasks. The last session, GNSS Trends (Drone Technologies), featured the results of initiatives and experiments using high-precision satellite positioning for safe drone flight, measuring, maintenance, transport, and more.

The wide range of speakers included employees of major corporations and start-ups. Question-and-answer sessions were held at the end of each session, with lively exchanges of opinions between the speakers and audience members.

Program/Presentation materials

Session 1: Automotive

Session 2: Agriculture

Session 3: GNSS Trend (Drone technologies)

The closing remarks were given by Mr. Go Takizawa, executive director, QZSS Strategy Office, National Space Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office and Mr. Christoph Kautz, DG GROW, European Commission. Mr. Takizawa said EU-Japan collaboration will enable the usage of GNSS to improve daily life. He ended the event by saying, “This meeting was a precious opportunity to achieve wonderful things. I look forward to accomplishing these together with everyone.”

At the exhibition area in a separate room, GNSS equipment that supports QZSS and Galileo from various companies was displayed. Many participants stopped to look at devices including the latest receivers, GNSS modules, GNSS trackers, and GNSS watches, and also listened to explanations from the booth staff members. A networking presentation took place after the sessions with lively communication between the participants.

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