Another one of JAXA’s predecessors, the National Space Development Agency of Japan, also dates back to the 1960s but focused less on planetary exploration and more on launch vehicles. It trained astronauts, built satellites, and contributed a module of the International Space Station.
Combined with the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan, which was dedicated mainly to aviation, these different institutions merged to become JAXA. The new agency centralizes Japan’s public research and development of technology related to space infrastructure and science.