European Space Agency (ESA) to Open Its First Asia Base at X-NIHONBASHI TOWER, Nihonbashi’s Space Business Hub
International cooperation in the space business sector accelerates from Nihonbashi
October 28, 2025
Cross U
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
TOKYO — Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takashi Ueda; hereinafter “Mitsui Fudosan”) and Cross U (President: Shinichi Nakasuka ) announced today that the European Space Agency (ESA; Headquarters: Paris, France; Director General: Josef Aschbacher) will open its first base in Asia at X-NIHONBASHI TOWER, a space business hub in Nihonbashi operated jointly by the two organizations. The base will open on October 28, 2025. This will be the ESA’s first base in Asia.
The ESA is Europe’s largest space organization, established jointly by European countries in 1975. It is headquartered in Paris, France, and its 23 European member countries include the United Kingdom, France, Italia，and Germany. ESA’s activities extend beyond Europe, driving international space development through collaboration with industry and research institutions worldwide, including Japan. Cross U and ESA signed a Letter of Intention (LOI) in November 2024 to promote cooperation in the space sector and have been working together to encourage business matching between European startups and Japanese businesses in the space industry. The new ESA’s base at X-NIHONBASHI TOWER aims to further strengthen this collaboration and deepen cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (hereinafter JAXA) and Japan’s rapidly growing space ecosystem.
The base will be staffed by ESA representatives who will promote co-creation programs with Cross U and facilitate coordination among stakeholders in government agencies and the commercial space sector in Europe and Japan, serving as a bridge between space business players in both regions.
On the opening of the new base at X-NIHONBASHI TOWER, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said, “Our relationship with Japan is built on decades of trust and scientific excellence. The establishment of an ESA presence in Japan signals our clear intention to elevate our cooperation with Japan across all domains of space – from Earth observation and planetary defence to science, human and robotic exploration and commercialisation. This will allow us to foster closer ties not only with JAXA but also with Japan’s dynamic and innovative space industry.”
Mitsui Fudosan has designated the space business as one of the priority areas for “new industry creation" in the Nihonbashi Revitalization Plan , a public-private-community initiative. In 2023, the company established Cross U, a space business co-creation platform, together with JAXA and other players from industry, government, and academia. Through the provision of “place” and “community,” including the development of space business hubs, Mitsui Fudosan aims to further revitalize the space industry. As of 2025, more than 30 space sector players have established operations in Nihonbashi, and the circle of co-creation centered on Cross U continues to expand, demonstrating steady progress in fostering space industry innovation in Nihonbashi. Moreover, international cooperation in the space business based in Nihonbashi is accelerating, as evidenced by ESA’s establishment of its new base.
ESA office (X-NIHONBASHI TOWER)
About Cross U
https://www.crossu.org/
Cross U is a space industry co-creation platform established in September 2022 and started operation in April 2023 by Mitsui Fudosan and other players in the space sector with the aim of revitalizing space industries. The number of Cross U special members has grown to more than 330 (as of October 2025) in the two years since operations began, making it one of the largest space business communities in Japan, operating from its base in Nihonbashi.
The space industry encompasses a very broad range of sectors, including not only space-related businesses such as research and projects for global sustainability and deep space exploration that opens new horizons for humanity, but also various technology fields created in the process. While the development of these technologies is expected to contribute to solving challenges facing all of humanity, co-creation among space industry players is essential for further development of the space sector.
In addition to providing a "place" and operating a "community," Mitsui Fudosan and Cross U aim to create an open co-creation platform that, together with domestic international space-related players from industry, government, and academia, promote not only existing space industry players, but also entry into the space industry by non-space companies. By collaborating with many players across industries and sectors both domestically and internationally, we aim to revitalize the global space industry from our base in Nihonbashi and promote a sustainable society by using space technology to help solve issues facing the world.
(Reference)
Press release on the establishment of Cross U:
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/corporate/news/2023/0213/
Sustainability in the Mitsui Fudosan Group
Based on the meaning of its “& mark,” “to generate new value with society through cooperation, coexistence and co-creation, we forge ahead, innovating,” the Mitsui Fudosan Group views the “creation of social value” and the “creation of economic value” as two wheels of a cart. Accordingly, we believe that the creation of social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that this economic value then creates even greater social value.
Moreover, we identified six Group Materiality priority issues when formulating our new management philosophy in April 2024. These Group Materiality priority issues are (1) Contribute to industrial competitiveness, (2) Coexist with the environment, (3) Health and Vitality, (4) Safety and security, (5) Diversity and inclusion, and (6) Compliance and governance. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will work to address each of the materialities through its core business activities and contribute to the promotion of sustainability.
(References)
・ Group Management Philosophy and Long-Term Vision
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/innovation2030/
・ Group Materiality
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/approach/materiality/