2025 Conference program
SEPTEMBER 24, 2025
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09:00 – 09:05Chairman's Welcome and Conference Commencement
- Yuichi Takayama, Director, Japan Practice Leader - Alton Aviation Consultancy
- Alan Lim, Director - Alton Aviation Consultancy
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09:05 – 09:25Japan’s Vision for Aerospace and Defence: A Market Outlook to 2050Furuichi Shigeru, Director for Defense Affairs Aerospace and Defense Industry Division Manufacturing Industries Bureau - Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
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09:25 – 09:45Rolls-Royce Driving Growth and Innovation in Aerospace: What Next-Gen Technology Means for the Future of the Supply Chain?Hasbi Ahsan, Senior Supply Chain Manager, Japan Partners - Rolls-Royce
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09:45 – 10:05Market Outlook for Boeing JapanJon Lilja, Senior Manager, Supply Chain Development, Asia Pacific - Boeing
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10:05 – 10:55Panel Discussion: Hydrogen-Powered Flight Revolutionising How We Fly
Moderator: Akinobu Okuda, President - Aerospace Kousou Research Institute, Inc.
Panelists:- Dr Masahide Kazari, Executive Fellow (Hydrogen Aircraft Core Technology), Aerospace Systems Company - Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd
- Joshua Ng, Director - Alton Aviation Consultancy
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10:55 – 11:15Electric Aircraft and the Rise of the eVTOL
Vincent Joséphine, Marketing Director - Ascendance
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11:15 – 11:35Trends and Challenges in Global Air Mobility: Legal Systems, Technological Innovation, and Infrastructure ReadinessYasuhiro Senda, Executive Vice President - The Japan UAS Industry Development Association (JUIDA)
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11:35 – 11:55Additive Manufacturing Advances: Contributing to a Greener, More Efficient Industry
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11:55 – 12:45Panel Discussion: Japan’s Space Economy: Industry Developments, Opportunities and Challenges
Moderator: Hidetaka Aoki, Co-Founder and Director - Space Port Japan
Panelist:
- Satoshi Ito, PR Manager - Astroscale Japan Inc.
- Satoshi Nakayama, Director and VP of Launch Vehicle Development - Interstellar Technologies Inc.
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12:45 – 14:00Lunch Break
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14:00 – 15:00Panel Discussion: Space and Security: Protecting Physical and Virtual Assets on Earth and in Space
Moderator: Munetaka Ueno, Research Director - JAXA
Panelist:
- Hirokazu Mori, CSO / US CEO - WARPSPACE Inc
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15:00 – 15:20Opportunities for Global Collaborative Defence Development
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15:20 – 15:40Next-Generation Air Defence Systems: Introducing New Technologies to Japan’s Growing Defence Sector
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15:40 – 16:10Startup Showcase
- Simon Gwozdz, CEO & Founder - Equatorial Space
- Gaku Minorikawa, CEO - HIEN Aero Technologies
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16:10 – 17:00Panel Discussion: Addressing Workforce and Skills Challenges in the Aerospace and Defence Sector
Moderator:
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17:00Chair’s Closing Remarks and Conference Day 1 Close
SEPTEMBER 25, 2025
Workshops
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13:30-14:00Stop Searching and Start SolvingSatoshi Enou, Head of Japan - SYSTRAN Japan G.K.
Designing new products. Enhancing quality. Accelerating innovation—Engineers tackling these critical missions every day are losing 15–30% of their valuable time just searching for internal information. Surprised? Specifications, component data, test procedures, quality reports…Essential information is scattered across the company, and tracking it down is a major challenge. And even when you finally find it, the language barrier—often other language—can bring everything to a halt. Sound familiar? That’s where the SYSTRAN × Sinequa Multilingual AI Search Assistant comes in. Take back your time and focus on what really matters—your mission.
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14:05-14:35PD Aerospace InitiativesShuji Ogawa, CEO - PD AeroSpace, LTD.
We will introduce our company's history of working on the development of spaceplanes led by the private sector, as well as our future development and business strategies. At the same time, we will predict future industry trends from our perspective.
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14:40-15:10Research and Development of the Suborbital SpaceplaneKoichi Yonemoto, Co-Founder and Director CTO - SPACE WALKER Inc.
SPACE WALKER Inc., a Tokyo University of Science startup, is conducting research and development a suborbital spaceplane for microbravity experiment and small satellite launch missions in collaboration with domestic and foreign aerospace companies and research institutes. In this presentation, the status of research and development of the total system design including:
- autonomous flight technologies
- composite cryogenic propellant (LOX, LBM) tanks
- LBM engines will be reported
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15:15-15:45Regaining "Japan as No. 1" in Space DevelopmentKazuhiko Otani, Business Development Director - Astro X
AstroX is a pioneering space startup with a bold vision: Regaining “Japan as No.1” in Space Development. Based in Minamisoma, Fukushima—a city symbolizing resilience and renewal—we are developing a world-first launch system that combines high-altitude balloons with rockets, known as the "Rockoon" method. This air-launch approach significantly reduces weather and logistical constraints compared to traditional ground launches, enabling more frequent, lower-cost, and highly responsive access to space. Capable of launching from multiple locations, including offshore platforms, our system offers unmatched flexibility. We are also deeply committed to nurturing the next generation and collaborating with local industries. Our roadmap includes a suborbital mission by 2026 and a first-of-its-kind orbital mission by 2029, as we work to establish a new, Japan-born space transportation infrastructure.
