~ Employee Count Doubles from Last Year, With Goal of Reaching 30 by Fiscal Year-End ~
SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd. (SPACE COTAN), which operates Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO), a commercial spaceport open to the private sector in Asia, held a shareholders’ meeting on June 18, during which key leadership appointments were made.
Hiroki Furihata, previously CSO, was appointed as Director and will continue serving as CSO. Hiroshi Hayashi, formerly Corporate Auditor, was appointed as Outside Director, and Satoru Yagi was newly appointed as Corporate Auditor. The company also resolved to establish the position of Accounting Auditor at the meeting.
To ensure steady progress in research and development supported by the Space Strategy Fund, which was adopted in January 2025, SPACE COTAN will strengthen its organizational structure and improve its Board governance.
As of June 18, the company has doubled its workforce compared to the previous year. By the end of this fiscal year, SPACE COTAN plans to expand the number of employees to about 30, four times the number of the previous year.
Under the new structure, HOSPO aims to enable high-frequency launches of various launch vehicles, and to create the “Silicon Valley of space,” a space-focused innovation hub in Hokkaido.
Outline of Executive Structure
Profiles of New Directors and Executives
Hiroki Furihata
- April 1998: Joined in National Space Development Agency of Japan (currently, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA)
- October 2017: Appointed as Director of Management Promotion Department
- May 2025: Joined in ispace, inc.
- August 2024: Joined in SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd.
- September 2024: Appointed as CSO
Hiroshi Hayashi
- December 1992: Joined Tokachi Mainichi Newspaper, Inc.
- May 1993: Appointed as Director and North America Bureau Chief
- November 1996: Appointed as Director and Vice President
- December 2009: Appointed as President
- December 2020: Appointed as President of Kachimai Holdings
Satoru Yagi
- April 1983: Joined in Obihiro Shinkin Bank
- April 2014: Appointed as Director of General Affairs Department
- June 2015: Appointed as Director and Director of General Affairs Department
- June 2019: Appointed as Executive Director and Director of General Affairs Department
- June 2022: Appointed as Senior Executive Director
Statement
Yoshinori Odagiri, President and CEO of SPACE COTAN CO., LTD.
We will manage the organization soundly under the new executive structure and advance research and development supported by the Space Strategic Fund. In addition, we will contribute to the development of the space industry and regional revitalization through the realization of HOSPO, a spaceport where various launch service providers can conduct high-frequency launches, and contribute to the growth and advancement of the space industry in Hokkaido.
About Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO)
HOSPO is a commercial spaceport open to the private sector in Asia, which was established in Taiki, Japan.
Taiki Town has been attracting the aerospace industry for 40 years, and is said to be one of the most suitable locations for a world-class spaceport due to its geographical advantages, such as an expansive sea to the east and south for launching, and a large land area that allows for high expansion of the launch site. The suborbital launch site “LC0” is already in operation, and private rockets have reached space three times in the past. To realize the vision of “creating an aerospace industry hub and ecosystem,” developments are underway on a new orbital launch site “LC1.”.
In October 2024, Taiki Town and SPACE COTAN signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), committing to expand international spaceport collaboration with eight commercial spaceports located across five continents. In order to meet the growing demand for launches, SPACE COTAN will explore potential strategic partnerships aimed at establishing international spaceport standards.
Furthermore, SPACE COTAN was selected in January 2025 for the Japanese government’s Space Strategy Fund and will use the funding to develop ground-based technologies that support high-frequency launches of various launch vehicles.
