Osaka to Orbit

Japan’s space sector charts a bold course at Expo 2025.

Photos Andy Boone

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On August 19, 2025, the Kansai chapter of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) hosted a landmark panel discussion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. Members, guests, and the general public gathered inside the USA Pavilion for “Osaka to Orbit,” an event at which four distinguished leaders from Japan’s space industry explored the nation’s expanding role in low earth orbit commercialization, orbital sustainability, and aerospace innovation in a panel discussion moderated by Toshio Ono of Boeing Research & Technology Japan.

Voices from the Final Frontier

The discussion opened with remarks from Dr. Koichi Wakata, chief technology officer at Axiom Space and Japan’s most experienced astronaut. Wakata, who has spent more than 500 days in space and served as the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station (ISS) reflected on his early fascination with space, sparked by a 1973 Gakken children’s encyclopedia, and traced Japan’s evolution from a peripheral player in space exploration to a central contributor to the future of orbital infrastructure. He introduced Axiom’s ambitious plan to construct the world’s first commercial space station, which will succeed the aging ISS. The Axiom Station is designed to support microgravity research, in-space manufacturing, and orbital data centers, offering a platform for both scientific advancement and commercial enterprise. Wakata emphasized that Japan’s technical expertise and international partnerships position it to play a pivotal role in shaping the next chapter of human spaceflight.

Nobu Okada, founder and chief executive officer of Astroscale Holdings, addressed the increasingly urgent issue of space debris. “As there was no existing market, I took on the challenge,” he explained. Examples of about 1,600 new pieces of debris created by major rocket and satellite fragmentations in the second half of 2024 alone were shown. While Astroscale focuses on large debris, NASA estimates more than 100 million objects of one millimeter or smaller exist. In some cases, they can collide with other objects at over 100 times the speed of a bullet. Okada presented Astroscale’s suite of on-orbit servicing technologies, including debris removal, satellite life extension, and inspection capabilities. Okada framed space sustainability not only as a technical challenge but also as a moral and generational imperative. He called on younger innovators to view orbital cleanup as both a societal responsibility and a viable business model, stressing that the long-term viability of space commerce depends on maintaining a safe and navigable orbital environment.

Koichi Yonemoto, cofounder and chief technology officer of Space Walker Inc., introduced Japan’s first reusable suborbital spaceplane initiative. With a similar silhouette to the US space shuttle, more reusable parts would save time and costs. With technical leadership drawn from the Kyushu Institute of Technology and the Tokyo University of Science, Space Walker aims to democratize access to space through tourism, scientific payload delivery, and small satellite launches. Yonemoto outlined a phased development timeline leading to orbital missions and even space tourism over the next 10 to 20 years, supported by strategic partnerships with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Toray Industries, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, better known as JAXA. He emphasized that the company’s regional manufacturing base in Fukushima and its planned launch operations in Hokkaido position Space Walker as a catalyst for regional revitalization and industrial diversification.

Osamu Aoki, president and chief executive officer of Aoki Co., Ltd., provided a grounded perspective from Japan’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. Aoki’s company, based in Higashi-Osaka, supplies precision components for Astroscale’s servicing satellites and Space Walker’s vehicles. As the smallest Boeing-certified factory in the world, Aoki proudly underscored the value of craftsmanship, proposal-driven engineering, and workforce development. He described his company’s approach to manufacturing as deeply rooted in monozukuri—the Japanese philosophy of making things with spirit and precision. Aoki challenged the audience to recognize the strategic importance of Japan’s SME ecosystem in sustaining a competitive and resilient space economy.

The panel concluded with a lively Q&A session, during which audience members engaged with the speakers on topics ranging from launch site strategy and international collaboration to the role of public–private partnerships in accelerating innovation. The discussion revealed a shared optimism about Japan’s trajectory in space and a collective commitment to ensuring that its contributions are both technologically advanced and socially responsible.

Future Visions

The sold-out Osaka to Orbit event offered a vivid glimpse into Japan’s vision for space—a domain with no boundaries or limits—thanks to the efforts of the ACCJ–Kansai Business Programs, the ACCJ–Chubu Aerospace and Mobility, and the ACCJ Aerospace and Defense Committees, as well as the support of the US Consulate General Osaka–Kobe. From astronauts and entrepreneurs to engineers and machinists, the panelists embodied a unified vision: that space is no longer a distant aspiration but a tangible frontier—one that begins in Osaka and extends far beyond. The ACCJ also thanks Electroimpact, Takata International, MGM Resorts, and Jupiter International Corporation for their generous support, enabling the chamber to take part in Expo 2025’s showcase of global innovation and affirming that Japan’s space sector is not only ready to participate in the next era of exploration but to help lead it.

Final Frontier

Former astronaut Naoko Yamazaki shares her vision for bilateral space cooperation and spaceports in Japan

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The United States and Japan share a long history of collaboration in space, working together on projects such as the International Space Station (ISS) and the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2024 and can also be seen as a preparatory stage for human missions to Mars.

Cooperation between the two countries in the space industry is growing stronger and represents a great pathway for innovation in the bilateral relationship. A significant player in the space travel industry in Japan is the Space Port Japan Association (SPJ), which was established in 2018 and is attracting considerable attention on both sides of the Pacific.

SPJ co-founder and Representative Director Naoko Yamazaki joined members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) on April 21 for an hour-long online discussion organized by the Chubu Aerospace and Manufacturing Committee.

Licensed to Fly

The accomplishments of Yamazaki, who participated as a panelist at the ACCJ Women in Business Summit in 2014, are impressive. Currently she is a member of the Committee on National Space Policy at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet Office. And as a former astronaut with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), she became the second Japanese women to fly into space when she took part in an assembly and resupply mission to the ISS in 2010 aboard the space shuttle Discovery. She retired from JAXA in 2011.

Besides appearing in the media to promote the SPJ, Yamazaki occasionally meets with government officials in both the United States and Japan. For example, US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel greeted her and space startup leaders at the US Embassy, Tokyo, in February to discuss bilateral collaboration on the space front.

Direct Connections

During the April 21 webinar, ACCJ members learned that direct cooperation began with the signing of the 1969 US–Japan Space Agreement and has since blossomed into a relationship involving many US-made products. While a young organization, the SPJ has already established relationships with four regional governments interested in hosting spaceports. The projects include:

• HOSPO (Taiki, Hokkaido Prefecture)
• Spaceport Kii (Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture)
• Shimojishima Spaceport (Okinawa Prefecture)
• Spaceport Oita (Beppu, Oita Prefecture)

Other cities in Japan are also interested in such an investment in point-to-point suborbital space transportation hubs.

Besides sending future passengers to other planets, spaceports in Japan could become a launchpad from which to transport time-sensitive food and cargo to other locations on Earth. For example, Yamazaki pointed out, entrepreneur and investor Elon Musk proposed in 2017 a plan to use his SpaceX rockets to fly passengers from New York to Shanghai in just 39 minutes.

Supporting STEM

Yamazaki is recognized as a space policy expert not only in Japan but also in the United States. She was recently invited by the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) as a visiting fellow at the Perry World House, a center for scholarly inquiry, teaching, research, international exchange, policy engagement, and public outreach on pressing global issues. She is lending her expertise to Penn so that its students can develop and advance innovative policy proposals, and hopes to see more Japanese students benefit from the experience of studying abroad.

Finally, Yamazaki spoke about her involvement in the Japanese Rocket Society, where she chairs the Sorajo Committee, whose name means women in aerospace. She is a staunch advocate of inclusivity and gender equality in the Japanese aerospace industry—a goal very much aligned with the beliefs of the ACCJ and its member companies. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—or STEM—is a growing area of passion for this former astronaut, and we hope to see her and other members of the SPJ at future ACCJ events.