Imaging satellite operator GeoEye of Herndon, Va., will provide an unspecified Japanese government ministry with high-resolution imagery of the island nation under a partnership arrangement with Japan Space Imaging Corp., GeoEye announced Nov. 27.

The ministry will have on-demand access to imagery owned by either company via the Internet using a platform dubbed EyeQ, GeoEye said.

“The Japanese government is the first major international government to benefit from EyeQ managed services,” Chris Tully, GeoEye’s senior vice president of sales, said in a prepared statement. This will allow the ministry’s analysts to access geospatial data previously accessible only to highly advanced users.”

The deal extends a partnership established earlier this year. Japan Space Imaging, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Corp., has a relationship with GeoEye that dates back to 1998.