Taiki Town has received a corporate hometown tax donation of JPY 10 million (approximately USD 67,000) from Asahi Sho-Ko-Sha Co., Ltd. (Asahi Sho-Ko-Sha).
Taiki Town, together with SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd., operates Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO), a commercial spaceport open to private operators. The town has been accepting corporate hometown tax donations for two initiatives:
- Hard infrastructure development, including the expansion of HOSPO facilities, and
- Soft support programs, such as assistance for space-related companies and outreach to promote aerospace industries.
This contribution from Asahi Sho-Ko-Sha has been allocated to support hard infrastructure development at HOSPO.
Asahi Sho-Ko-Sha Co., Ltd. – Company Overview
Guided by the motto of “supporting manufacturing,” Asahi Sho-Ko-Sha is a specialized trading company dealing in machinery, tools, and industrial equipment. Backed by more than 70 years of trust since our founding, we leverage a strong network of 20 domestic sales offices and 12 overseas offices, along with the problem-solving capabilities of our technical support division. Asahi Sho-Ko-Sha supplies a wide range of products used in factories and on production sites, and go beyond simply supplying products by providing advice and consultation. Through this approach, we aim to serve as a “technical solutions supplier” that delivers meaningful value to our customers.
- Head Office: 1-7-10 Hiranuma, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
- Representative: Mitsuteru Nomura, Chief Executive Officer
- Business Activities: Sales of machinery, tools, and industrial equipment
- Website:https://www.kkamic.co.jp/en/
Statement from Mitsuteru Nomura, Chief Executive Officer
We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue our involvement, for the fourth consecutive year since FY2022, in Taiki Town’s “Space Town Development” initiative. As a specialized trading company in machinery, tools, and industrial equipment, we will leverage the experience, expertise, and extensive network we have built over more than half a century to contribute to the further growth of space-related industries and services in Hokkaido. At the same time, we strongly resonate with Taiki Town’s community development efforts centered on HOSPO, and we remain committed to supporting this initiative while valuing our relationships with all stakeholders and striving to contribute in every way we can going forward.
Government Support for Space Transportation Accelerates as Japan Moves Toward Autonomous Space Activities
With the rapid expansion of the global commercial space industry, the size of the world’s space market is projected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2040, nearly three times its current scale. Demand for satellite launches continues to rise; however, due to limited domestic launch opportunities, many satellites are currently launched overseas.
In June 2023, the Japanese government approved a new Basic Plan on Space Policy, which sets forth the goal of securing independent access to space and achieving autonomous space activities without reliance on other nations. As one concrete measure, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) allocated JPY 35 billion (approximately USD 230 million) over five years under the SBIR Phase 3 Program to support the development and demonstration of launch vehicles by private-sector startups.
In addition, the government established the JPY 1 trillion Space Strategy Fund (approximately USD 6.7 billion) to support technology development and commercialization by companies and universities. This fund also covers R&D for ground-based systems related to launch sites, including foundational technologies for spaceport infrastructure. The government has set a key target of securing around 30 domestic launches per year by the early 2030s, further accelerating support for Japan’s space transportation sector.
HOSPO Aims to Become a Next-Generation Launch Site Capable of High-Frequency, Multi-Vehicle Operations
HOSPO is Japan’s only multi-mode spaceport capable of supporting both vertical and horizontal launch operations. Through the development of launch sites for rockets and spaceplanes, HOSPO provides launch and testing support for companies, universities, and research institutions from Japan and abroad. Approximately 40 tests and experiments are conducted annually, and in 2019 and 2021, commercial sounding rockets launched from HOSPO reached space a total of three times.
Since 2022, HOSPO has been engaged in the construction of Launch Complex 1 (LC1), designed for micro- to small-class launch vehicles capable of transporting payloads up to 2 tons to low Earth orbit. The spaceport has also completed an extension to its runway. A portion of the funding has come from Japan’s corporate hometown tax donation program. Thanks to the generous support of many contributors, total donations have reached a target of JPY 1.1 billion (approximately USD 7.3 million), although additional contributions continue to be sought owing to rising construction costs driven by surging material prices.
After LC1 is completed in September 2026, launches are planned by companies such as Interstellar Technologies Inc. The runway extension was completed in June 2024 and is expected to support testing for next-generation air mobility vehicles, including spaceplanes, flying cars, and drones.
To position HOSPO as a hub for the space industry in Asia and to enable frequent and diverse launch operations by domestic and international operators, plans are underway for the development of a second launch site, Launch Complex 2 (LC2), as well as a 3,000-meter runway designed to accommodate point-to-point transportation (P2P).
Corporate Hometown Tax Donation Program
The Corporate Hometown Tax Donation Program is a scheme under which companies that contribute to regional revitalization projects carried out by local governments receive tax credits against their corporate taxes. Up to approximately 90% of the contributed amount can be offset through reductions in corporate-related taxes.
From the launch of the program in FY2016 through FY2024, a total of 1,631 local governments, representing about 90% of all municipalities in Japan, have utilized this program.
About Taiki Town
- Representative: Yutaka Kurokawa, Mayor
- Location: 33 Higashihon-dori, Taiki Town, Hiroo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Overview: A town with a population of 5,200 where agriculture, fishing, and forestry are the core industries. The town was recognized as suitable as a base for aerospace in 1984, and for over 40 years since then, the town has been promoting itself as a space town. In 2022, construction began on Launch Complex 1 (LC1), a new orbital launch site. The goal is to create an aerospace industry hub and ecosystem with Hokkaido Spaceport as its core.
- Website: https://www.town.taiki.hokkaido.jp/
About SPACE COTAN Co., Ltd.
- Representative: Yoshinori Odagiri, CEO
- Location: 98 Nishihondori, Taiki Town, Hiroo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Business Overview: Based on a mandate from Taiki Town, SPACE COTAN is responsible for the management and operation of HOSPO, fundraising support for infrastructure development, launch site design, acquisition of national certifications, customer development, launch support, public relations activities and overall promotion of the HOSPO project.
- Website: https://hokkaidospaceport.com/en/
About Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO)
HOSPO is a commercial spaceport open to the private sector,
located in Taiki, Japan. For over 40 years, Taiki Town has
sought to be home to the aerospace industry and is regarded
as one of the most suitable locations for a world-class
spaceport, thanks to its considerable geographic advantages:
open seas to the east and south for launch trajectories and
expansive land for future site expansion.
HOSPO’s suborbital launch site, Launch Complex 0 (LC0), is
already operational, with private launch vehicles having
reached space three times to date.
To realize its vision of creating a “Space Silicon Valley,” development is underway on a new orbital launch site, Launch Complex 1 (LC1). Future plans include Launch Complex 2 (LC2) for high-frequency launches, Launch Complex X (LCX) for larger and human-rated launch vehicles, and a new 3,000-meter runway for point-to-point transportation (P2P).
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. In another milestone, in July 2025, jtSPACE Co., Ltd., a Japanese sister company of Taiwanese firm TiSPACE Inc., conducted the nation’s first suborbital rocket launch funded by foreign capital at HOSPO.
