Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Electric Invest in Japan LEO Shachu, a Space Venture Established by Mitsui & Co.

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Japan LEO Shachu, Inc. (“Japan LEO Shachu”, Head Office: Chuo City, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yudai Yamamoto), which was established by Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (“Mitsui”, Head Office: Tokyo, President and CEO: Kenichi Hori), has implemented a third-party allocation of new shares, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (“MHI”, Head Office: Chiyoda City, Tokyo, President and CEO: Eisaku Ito) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (“Mitsubishi Electric”, Head Office: Chiyoda City, Tokyo, President and CEO: Kei Uruma) have conducted their subscription and investment procedures.

The International Space Station (ISS) has hitherto been developed and operated by the governments of 15 countries participating in an intergovernmental agreement. Following the planned retirement of the ISS in 2030, development and operation of space stations in the post‑ISS era are expected to be led by the private sector. As private-sector activities related to post-ISS accelerate, market expansion is anticipated. Japan LEO Shachu was established in July 2024 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui with the aim of creating a new economy in low Earth orbit (LEO) by leveraging Japan’s technology and industrial foundation. In April 2025, Japan LEO Shachu commenced development of the Japan Module, which will be connected to commercial space stations, with the objective of enabling Japan to secure commercial utilization opportunities in LEO, leveraging the nation’s strengths in the technologies of Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” on the ISS and New unmanned cargo transfer spacecraft “HTV-X.”

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