Japan hopes that by landing on the moon and entering a club previously occupied by only the United States, the Soviet Union, India, and China, it will mean international scientific and diplomatic accolades and potential domestic political gains. Failure would have meant a very expensive and public embarrassment.
For now, the United States's ability to spend large sums and marshal supply chains give it an advantage over China and other moon rivals. Private sector players such as SpaceX and Blue Origin have made crewed space missions a priority.
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