Japan says it’s still on board with helping the United States return to the Moon, even as President Donald Trump’s proposed budget slashes NASA funding and puts parts of the Artemis lunar program in jeopardy.
The 2026 budget plan includes a $6 billion cut to NASA’s funding, the biggest single-year reduction in the agency’s history.
The plan would shrink space science budgets nearly in half and cancel or reduce major projects like the Gateway lunar station, the Mars Sample Return mission, and support for the International Space Station.
Instead, the proposal shifts focus to Mars, with $1 billion in new funding for Mars-related efforts.
Japan Commits to Continued Support
Despite the uncertainty, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) says it stands ready to continue supporting lunar missions.
“If the U.S. were considering a better alternative in terms of budget or economics, we must respond to it,” JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa said at a press briefing.
Shift to Commercial Systems and Mars
Trump’s budget plan would cancel NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after Artemis 3, scheduled for 2027.
It also backs the use of more “cost-effective commercial systems” for future Moon missions, a move that could benefit SpaceX and its Starship program.
Elon Musk, who has called the Moon a “distraction,” has openly advocated for skipping lunar missions in favor of heading straight to Mars.
SpaceX has already been tapped by NASA to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface.
Japan’s Contributions and Capabilities
Still, Japan and other Artemis partners aren’t backing away. The country recently signed an agreement to send two Japanese astronauts and a Toyota-built rover to the Moon.
JAXA also worked with the European Space Agency to develop a habitation module for Gateway and planned to use its HTV-X cargo craft to resupply it.
Even if the Gateway project is canceled, Yamakawa said Japan is committed to contributing.
“Even under a name different from ‘Gateway,’ similar infrastructure is needed for lunar activities, and we continue to provide it,” he said.
Japan is also offering advanced landing technology, resupply systems, and data from a joint lunar water mission with India.
Yamakawa emphasized that Japan would keep working with NASA to strengthen international space cooperation.
Strategic Partnerships Amid Global Competition
Some in the space community see the U.S.’s global partnerships as too valuable to abandon.
“It’s hard to imagine the U.S. would deliberately discard its advantage of having partners with space capabilities above a certain level,” said Kota Umeda, a research fellow at the Institute of Geoeconomics in Tokyo.
Trump’s attempt to cancel Artemis may face strong resistance in Congress, where the program has enjoyed bipartisan support. Lawmakers have argued that canceling this far in would be a costly mistake.
NASA’s incoming administrator, Jared Isaacman, has said that Moon and Mars efforts could happen in parallel, though his exact stance remains unclear.
Lunar Cooperation Likely to Continue
In short, while Trump’s budget pulls back on NASA’s Moon ambitions, Japan and other international partners say they are ready to adapt and keep the mission alive.
Their continued support may be key to keeping the broader goals of lunar exploration on track, even with scaled-back U.S. leadership.