Space Technology in Japan 2024 Report
Innovate UK in collaboration with UK Science and Innovation Network (UK SIN) delivered a Global Expert Mission (GEM) to Japan in July 2024, bringing together key stakeholders from both countries to exchange knowledge and showcase developments in space technologies.
Executive Summary from outcome report
The space sector in Japan covers most of the space value chain, with prime contractors vertically integrated and a resulting sparse supply chain in the mid-sector compared to the UK, although with more non-space suppliers feeding into the sector.
From the 8th to the 12th of July 2024, Innovate UK ran a Global Expert Mission (GEM) to Japan with the aim of establishing what opportunities for innovation exist for collaboration between the UK and Japan in the space domain.
The Government in Japan is more directive than the UK, investing significantly in space and being active at all levels, from the Cabinet Office through departments to the Japan Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA), which oversees all non-military research and development. The mobilisation in 2024 of the Space Strategic Fund sees a ten-year, £5bn investment into space and is in the process of identifying its priorities.
About Global Expert Missions
Global Expert Missions (GEM) is funded by Innovate UK and designed to build international collaborations with governments, societies, enterprises, institutions, and people from every corner of the globe. With global challenges requiring international perspectives, the programme aims to support the UK government’s ambition to be the international partner of choice and a global hub for innovation by 2035.