Cambridge Consultants’ Yoichi Ishige and Miles Upton tell Space Wave Japan they see substantial growth in Japanese space projects across APAC, reflecting rising demand for “translational R&D.” Their insights spotlight a key question facing Japan’s ¥800 billion Space Strategy Fund: how the country will turn technical milestones into paying customers, lasting partnerships, and sustainable revenue.

Space is shifting from an uncharted frontier to essential everyday infrastructure. In this Yomiuri Shimbun interview, Cambridge Consultants’ CEO, Richard Traherne, and Representative Director for Japan, Yoichi Ishige, urge Japan to move faster commercially, build on its strengths in safety-critical systems and sensing, and pursue global partnerships while balancing space sovereignty with international collaboration.