Title: The Islands and the Stars – A History of Japan's Space Programs with Dr. Subodhana Wijeyeratne

Event Info: 
Please join us for a special evening on Wednesday, June 10th, 2026, featuring Dr. Subodhana Wijeyeratne, Assistant Professor of History at Purdue University, who will discuss his recently published book, The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan's Space Programs (Stanford University Press, January 2026).

About the Speaker:
Dr. Subodhana Wijeyeratne brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to the history of science. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, he earned his Ph.D. in Japanese history from Harvard University . He is also a published author of science fiction, with his first short story collection, Tales from the Stone Lotus, appearing in 2017 . This blend of rigorous historical scholarship and creative storytelling makes him exceptionally well-suited to illuminate the fascinating, and often overlooked, story of Japan's journey into space.

About the Book:
The Islands and the Stars, published just this past January by Stanford University Press, is the first comprehensive English-language history of Japan's civilian space program . The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is one of the world's six largest national space agencies, with a budget exceeding $1 billion USD—larger than France, Germany, Italy, India, Canada, and the UK individually . Yet, Japan's significant contributions have been largely absent from the global history of space exploration.

Through meticulous archival research in both Japanese and English-language sources, Dr. Wijeyeratne traces the evolution of Japan's space efforts over nearly a century—from their early origins in the 1920s, through the postwar period of rapid technological innovation, to the consolidation of various institutional elements into JAXA in 2003 . He examines how narratives around rocketry shifted dramatically over time: from emblems of imperial ambition before and during World War II, to symbols of peaceful scientific pursuit and national renewal in the postwar era.

What to Expect:
In this special interview-style presentation, Dr. Wijeyeratne will guide us through:

• The pioneering work of Hideo Itokawa, the "father" of Japan's space program, who started with rockets the size of a pencil in the 1950s .

• The fascinating, decades-long division between Japan's two space agencies—ISAS (focused on scientific exploration) and NASDA (focused on commercial and practical applications)—before their merger into JAXA in 2003 .

• How Japan's relationship with the United States both enabled and constrained its space ambitions, from technology transfers to the push for independent launch capability .

• The dramatic successes (like the Hayabusa asteroid sample return missions) and high-profile failures that have shaped Japan's spacefaring identity .

• Why narratives matter in space exploration—how stories determine funding, public support, and even how success and failure are interpreted .

This is a rare opportunity to hear from a scholar who has opened a new window into a major spacefaring nation's history. Please join us for what promises to be a thought-provoking and wide-ranging conversation.

Clear skies!