ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Business trends

Japan's answer to GPS points way to $44bn in new services

SoftBank, Hitachi and more plan uses in automated driving and beyond

Japan's Michibiki satellites, equipped with special receivers, can locate people or objects on the ground with a margin of error of under 10cm. (Image provided by Cabinet Office)
Japan's Michibiki satellites, equipped with special receivers, can locate people or objects on the ground with a margin of error under 10 cm. (Image provided by Cabinet Office)

TOKYO -- Japan launched its own highly precise satellite positioning system Thursday, a move expected to generate new services worth nearly 5 trillion yen ($44.4 billion) by 2025 as players like SoftBank Group, Mitsubishi Electric and Hitachi plan applications in automated driving, farming and more.

"Our lifestyles would be impossible without GPS," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the ceremony marking the start of the service, referring to the widely used U.S.-made Global Positioning System. The Michibiki satellite constellation, known officially as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, would let Japan turn "a new page in history," he continued.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Discover the all new Nikkei Asia app

  • Take your reading anywhere with offline reading functions
  • Never miss a story with breaking news alerts
  • Customize your reading experience

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more