Alexandru Arba
Research expert covering Japan
Aircraft and aerospace industry in Japan - statistics & facts
The aircraft and aerospace industry in Japan is concerned with the production and partially with the operation of flying machinery, such as planes, helicopters, missiles, rockets, and satellites. The industry fulfills an important role, catering to the demand of various stakeholders: from civil and defense-related contributions by producing aircraft, missiles, and rockets, to the organization and execution of science-related space missions. The aircraft manufacturing industry comprises the lion's share of the market size and workforce. The aerospace industry is smaller than the aircraft segment, and is hardly profitable, as space exploration and the production of defense machinery are in many cases not yet commercially viable.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the most prominent actor in the public sector. The nation’s government agency for aerospace research and development was formed in 2003, merging the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). JAXA pursues multiple missions such as gathering meteorological data, providing satellite communications, and conducting and coordinating research, usually with a budget of around 200 billion yen, when counting in the supplementary budget.
In 1970, Japan became the fourth nation to launch an artificial satellite into orbit. Over time, Japanese research has borne fruits such as launch vehicles, transfer vehicles, satellites, even contributing with the Kibo Module to the International Space Station (ISS), completed in 2009. The latest launch by JAXA was the H3 rocket Test Vehicle No. 2. After the first mission employing this type of rocket failed, this mission aimed to validate the feasibility of the H3 rocket development, and provide an opportunity to deploy two small secondary satellites into orbit.
Major actors in Japanese aerospace
Japanese aerospace companies build mostly under license, jointly developing, or manufacturing components (fuselage, engines, etc.) in collaboration with leading aerospace manufacturers worldwide. Few aircraft have been domestically designed and manufactured from scratch. Among Japan’s top engineering companies are Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, IHI Corporation, and Subaru, whose predecessors have been the backbone of the domestic industry since its beginnings.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the most prominent actor in the public sector. The nation’s government agency for aerospace research and development was formed in 2003, merging the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL), and the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). JAXA pursues multiple missions such as gathering meteorological data, providing satellite communications, and conducting and coordinating research, usually with a budget of around 200 billion yen, when counting in the supplementary budget.
The development of aerospace in Japan
The origins of the aircraft industry date back to pre-WWII Japan. It boomed in the 1930s when the former Empire developed military aircraft for its wars in East Asia and the Pacific. After Japan’s defeat in WWII, the country was deprived of its aircraft and banned from aircraft manufacturing and research until 1952. Despite this setback, the industry recovered successively with the maintenance and repair of U.S. aircraft used in the Korean War. Today, aircraft maintenance has become a sizable business. By the mid-1960s, Japan had again developed a complete aircraft. Licensed manufacturing of airframes and engines fostered high-tech expertise, helping the country extend to spacecraft.In 1970, Japan became the fourth nation to launch an artificial satellite into orbit. Over time, Japanese research has borne fruits such as launch vehicles, transfer vehicles, satellites, even contributing with the Kibo Module to the International Space Station (ISS), completed in 2009. The latest launch by JAXA was the H3 rocket Test Vehicle No. 2. After the first mission employing this type of rocket failed, this mission aimed to validate the feasibility of the H3 rocket development, and provide an opportunity to deploy two small secondary satellites into orbit.
