The Forefront of the Fast-Growing Space Business Gathers in Nihonbashi, Driven by Increasing International Collaboration and Co-creation
Asia’s Largest Space Business Event with Approximately 8,000 Participants in 2023
NIHONBASHI SPACE WEEK 2024
< Event Period: Monday, November 18 to Friday, November 22 >
October 23, 2024
cross U
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Tokyo, Japan, October 23, 2024 – Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, and cross U, a general incorporated association also based in Tokyo, announced today that they will hold NIHONBASHI SPACE WEEK 2024 from Monday, November 18, 2024 to Friday, November 22, 2024. NIHONBASHI SPACE WEEK is Asia’s largest space business event where players in the space business from Japan and overseas will gather.
Launched in 2020 and staged in Nihonbashi, NIHONBASHI SPACE WEEK has been mainly organized by cross U since 2023. In 2023, approximately 8,000 players in the space business gathered from Japan and overseas to attend the event, highlighting the growing number of participants year by year. As a result, the event has grown to become Asia’s largest space business event. Through this event, the organizers seek to foster new co-creation in the space business by creating opportunities for event participants to gain exposure to the latest trends in the space business and interact with key players in industry, government, and academia, with the goal of energizing the global space industry from Nihonbashi.
Japan’s space business has been flourishing due to the entry of new players, including major corporations and entrants from many different business sectors. The business has been rapidly gaining momentum. Notably, it is reported that the number of space-related startups in Japan has surpassed 100. Furthermore, a public call under the Space Strategy Fund*1 was launched in July 2024. As a result, this is expected to further stimulate the growth of the private-sector space industry. In 2024, the JAXA Space Strategy Fund Department*1 established a base in Nihonbashi, and a newly expanded space business site will be opened in January 2025. In these and other ways, the space business based in Nihonbashi has become increasingly vibrant and active in both the private and public sectors.
Going forward, cross U and Mitsui Fudosan will continue contributing to further growth in space-related industries.
*1 About the Space Strategy Fund (excerpted from Cabinet Office materials)
The Space Strategy Fund (with up to \1 trillion in funding), a 10-year fund for JAXA, was established to support private-sector companies, universities, and other entities over several fiscal years in their efforts to develop, demonstrate and commercialize advanced space technology.
(Cabinet Office materials: https://www8.cao.go.jp/space/comittee/dai108/siryou3.pdf (in Japanese)
Event Overview
- NIHONBASHI SPACE WEEK 2024, Asia’s largest space business event, will be held for the fourth time in the Nihonbashi area, which is becoming a center for companies and other organizations in the private sector, public sector, and academia, driving the space industry.
- This year’s event will host numerous international public institutions, including the European Space Agency (ESA), alongside companies and other organizations. More than 100 Japanese and overseas companies and organizations will participate, with over 150 speakers taking the stage.
- The event will energize space business co-creation by providing insights into the latest space business trends and creating opportuni
Event Details
During NIHONBASHI SPACE WEEK 2024, the forefront of the space business will gather in Nihonbashi for events such as “-EXHIBITION-,” an exhibition where over 60 space business organizations will exhibit, along with a diverse array of business conferences. Numerous space-related events are scheduled over the course of five days, with additional gatherings of related people planned across various locations in the Nihonbashi area.
Click illustration to enlarge
* Details such as program content and information on exhibiting companies are as of the time of writing and subject to change.