TOKYO -- Canon Electronics, IHI Aerospace and two other partners are looking to build the first private-sector rocket launch site in Japan by 2021, a major step forward for nongovernment players in the space sector here.
The location, specializing in small rockets, will be operated by a joint venture founded last summer by the Canon and IHI units with general contractor Shimizu and the Development Bank of Japan. They are looking to begin construction in the Wakayama Prefecture town of Kushimoto, at the southernmost point of the main Japanese island of Honshu. A final decision will come after a geological survey.
