Okinawa: The Southern Fortress Supporting Japan's Space Infrastructure — The Current State of Space Business Opened Up by Satellite Operations, Optical Communications, and Ground Station Services —

Early March. Leaving behind the freezing cold of Tokyo, the moment I stepped down in Okinawa, I was enveloped by the warm air and the scent of the southern islands. Blue seas, white sandy beaches, and dazzling sunshine. It is the landscape of Okinawa that everyone imagines.

However, the purpose of this trip is not a resort.
I visited facilities scattered across Okinawa belonging to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), and the private company PASCO. I will share the "current state of space infrastructure" that I felt firsthand through dialogues with engineers on the front lines.

The space industry is a massive market said to be worth 100 trillion yen by 2040.
When we think of space development, we think of rockets and satellites, but what supports them are ground antennas and communication networks. These connect space and the ground 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Okinawa is one of those vital nodes.

● Why Okinawa?

Space infrastructure relies on a concept called "site diversity." By communicating with satellites from multiple locations, communication opportunities are maximized, and stable operations are realized.

Furthermore, Okinawa is located at the southernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago and is close to the equator, playing an important role as a "southern fortress" for the satellite tracking network as follows.

● The "Southern Fortress" of Satellite Tracking @ JAXA

Deep in the forests of Onna Village, after climbing the mountain and proceeding along a path where hibiscus flowers bloom, a Shisa suddenly appears. This is the JAXA Okinawa Space Communication Station. Established in 1968, this facility leverages its location at the southernmost tip of the Japanese archipelago to play a crucial role.

Looking out over the forest, several antennas are looking up at the sky. These are used for tracking and controlling artificial satellites. Particularly interesting is the "XY-axis antenna." Although it has a large and complex structure, it can smoothly track satellites passing directly overhead. It is a crystallization of the technology of tracking controllers who strive to capture every signal.

At the JAXA Okinawa Space Communication Station, Earth observation satellites such as "DAICHI-2," "IBUKI," and "SHIZUKU," as well as scientific satellites like "ARASE" and "HINODE," are operated. Antennas for the Cabinet Office's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System "MICHIBIKI" are also installed. While satellites fly in space, the majority of their operations are conducted on the ground.

In the exhibition room, the trajectory of Japan's space development, starting from Dr. Hideo Itokawa's Pencil Rocket, and a full-scale engineering model of Japan's first experimental broadcasting satellite BS (YURI) are lined up. Looking at these, it is clear that Japan's space development has been built over more than 60 years by the passion and tenacity of many people.

● The Front Line of Space Communications @ NICT

A few minutes' drive from Manzamo, where the blue sea spreads out, is the NICT Okinawa Electromagnetic Technology Center. Here, the focus is on optical satellite communication. A 1-meter optical telescope is installed outdoors.

"Using this, we established a two-way optical link with JAXA's optical data relay satellite 36,000 km away." Yasuhiro Takahashi of NICT, who explained this to me, is in charge of this operation and speaks passionately about the potential of this technology.

" LUCAS " mounted on the optical data relay satellite is an optical inter-satellite communication system developed by JAXA and NEC, which in 2025 succeeded for the first time in the world in transmitting ultra-large capacity mission data to the ground using the world's fastest optical communication [1].

Optical communication can transmit far larger volumes of data compared to the radio waves used in conventional satellite communication. This is not merely an evolution in communication technology. It means that the vast amounts of data observed by satellites can be delivered to the ground in near real-time. Climate change, disasters, agriculture—data from space is opening up a new future for the Earth.

At the Okinawa Electromagnetic Technology Center, they are developing not only satellite communication but also atmospheric and oceanic observation technologies. One example is the rainfall radar.

"By using phased array weather radar technology, we can predict the weather not at the level of 'it might rain,' but at the level of 'it will rain soon.'" The words of Akitsugu Nadai, Director of the NICT Technology Center, as he explained this, were imbued with a strong sense of pride in making technology useful for society. It makes one realize that behind the rain cloud radar we casually check on our smartphones lies a massive accumulation of effort and technological development.

● Space in Daily Life @ PASCO

Itoman City in southern Okinawa. While driving a rental car, you encounter a strange landscape. Between a convenience store sign and a delivery service sign, a giant white sphere (radome) sits enthroned. This is the satellite ground station of the geospatial information company, PASCO.

The sudden appearance of "space" within a residential area. This sense of the extraordinary is the very symbol of how space has moved from being a national project to something integrated into our daily lives.

A PASCO representative stated that "job creation is also an important role," and about 200 people, mainly locals, work there.

Here, in addition to providing a wide range of services to satellite and rocket operators, such as the operation of the ASNARO-1 observation satellite with NEC [2], analysis of aerial survey data is also conducted. Satellite data is utilized for grasping damage conditions during disasters, managing crop growth, forest management, and urban planning.

Space data is not for the sake of space; it is for the sake of the Earth and for the people living on it.

Furthermore, private space infrastructure in Okinawa is expanding. In 2025, SKY Perfect JSAT installed a satellite communication antenna in Ginoza Village. In recent years, the number of startups entering the space business has surged, but possessing satellite control equipment is not easy. Therefore, the importance of ground station services is increasing.

▼ SKY Perfect JSAT, Satellite Monitoring and Control Service: Supporting Entry into the Space Business

● Space as Social Infrastructure

Okinawa is the "southern fortress" that supports Japan's space infrastructure. When we think of space, we tend to be captivated by rockets and satellites, but much of the vast process of operating them, analyzing their data, and delivering it to our lives takes place on the "ground."

The contrast between the blue sea and the white antennas seen under the strong Okinawan sun. It was not a longing for the unknown reaches of space, but rather the "social infrastructure" that supports the nation's economy, security, and our daily lives.

On the way back, Haneda, where I landed wearing only an Orion Beer shirt, felt unexpectedly cold (7°C).
But that is okay.
The warm breeze of Okinawa and the passion of the engineers still remained in my heart.

Perhaps that passion is what is driving the future of Japan's space industry.

Acknowledgments: I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Space ICT Promotion Forum secretariat and all those involved for arranging this valuable opportunity as the 4th tour of the Space ICT Promotion Forum. Thank you very much.

References

[1] Optical Data Relay Satellite System "LUCAS"
[2] "ASNARO-1" achieves 10 years of operation, a first for a domestically produced optical satellite | Press release from NEC Corporation