NewSpace in Japan

source: japantimes.jp

2018 has seen a year of great ambition and activity in the NewSpace sector in Japan.

For those already active in NewSpace, the answer is obvious.

If I had to make some preliminary observations about NewSpace in Japan it would be this:

So after much thought, it is the last comment that I would really like to build upon and make use of my time here in Japan.

What can you achieve with 6 months in Japan?

6 months is not a long time, 6 months is long — depending on how you look at it.

In a two hour meeting, which the ultimate question was what is your goal in Japan.

I humbly crossed my arms and looked up at the sky and thought — maybe a few more NewSpace startups?

It is difficult to talk business when you are talking about an infant sector, the prize is the vision of seeing the potential, and as all good entrepreneurs would say, seeing opportunities when those see none.

The journey has just started and I have to put my thanks forward to those that are welcoming me to visit their hometowns and cities, from Osaka to Fukuoka, Oita to Kyoto, Okinawa to Hokkaido.

My thinking is this. There is Silicon Valley, before that it was apricot groves, all good entrepreneurs would tell you this. Since Silicon Valley, every other city that has attempted to replicate the same buzz, the same talent has not quite got there. Why?

The magic is in the sauce, and nobody knows how to make it.

As I sat through a whole day on EU- Japan Regional collaborations, where city to city industries, share success stories and congratulate each other on collaboration. The more I listened the more I started questioning — what does it mean? Exactly?

source: sciencealert.com

In 2019, I am going to explore Japan and understand is there a potential for a EU-Japan Newspace hub and try to understand what and where exactly does the NewSpace appetite lie.

Is it dormant?

Is it alive and kicking?

Is it in its`infancy?

As I was invited to Nordic beer export tasting event, I asked the CEO, what are Japanese entrepreneurs good at? They answered, improving things? The word kaizen came into my mind right away. What has Japanese business culture and etiquette taught us, much. Now I need to understand how can it go further? How can this talent, knowledge and capability be used to drive the industry upwards…..to space.

Time, things take time, they tell me. Particularly in Japan.

So I will work with the available time, resources and talented individuals to see what we can achieve in the next 6 months.

Thank you everyone for making 2018 so great.

It has been a tough, exciting and engaging year. I look forward to 2019 and seeing NewSpace grow and particularly in EU-Japan NewSpace collaboration.

Arigato gozaimasu.

Emergent Technologies Expert Advisor on Space Applications & GNSS MINERVA fellow, EU-Japan Centre

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