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[00:00.17] A Taiwanese business is seeking to become the first foreign company to launch a rocket from Japan.

[00:09.73] The planned launch comes as Japan keeps on a path to invest $26 billion in its space agency over the next 10 years.

[00:23.81] The idea is to create a space hub for other nations in Asia.

[00:31.51] The private Taiwanese company is called TiSpace.

[00:36.56] It was started in 2016 by current and former officials from the country’s space agency.

[00:45.59] It has not yet completed a successful rocket launch.

[00:50.37] TiSpace’s most recent launch attempt came in 2022.

[00:57.54] The effort was in cooperation with Australian company AtSpace.

[01:03.66] The launch attempt failed because of a fuel-related issue.

[01:10.30] The rocket to be launched in Japan is a different design.

[01:14.01] There has been some opposition in Japan to the country’s plans to contract with foreign businesses for space activities.

[01:24.92] But TiSpace chairman Yen-sen Chen told Reuters he thinks the planned launch should make “a very good case” for Japan’s government.

[01:37.68] Chen said his company was waiting on one last government approval before the rocket launch can be set.

[01:47.23] The launch will involve a sounding rocket that could happen by early 2025.

[01:54.42] A sounding rocket can fly to space but does not reach orbit.

[02:01.05] Some industry experts have suggested that China could oppose the launching of a Taiwanese rocket from Japan.

[02:11.67] China claims Taiwan as its own territory.

[02:15.66] But Chen said he had not yet heard any concerns from China.

[02:21.77] A representative from China’s foreign ministry told Reuters it did not have detailed information about the planned rocket launch.

[02:33.20] In Japan, the government’s Cabinet Office said “free economic and research activities are guaranteed in Japan” within the structure of the country’s existing laws and regulations.

[02:50.19] TiSpace is the only Taiwanese company seeking rocket launches in Japan.

[02:57.36] One of the company’s other co-founders, Wu Jong-shinn, is currently head of Taiwan’s space agency.

[03:07.20] Agency officials had no comment on TiSpace’s plans and said all its launch services are carried out through government contracts.

[03:19.73] The company’s launch plans have won support among some Japanese space businesses, especially in the rural town of Taiki.

[03:31.16] That is where TiSpace’s launch will take place.

[03:35.95] Space officials and industry experts say it is a good thing that Japan is inviting foreign companies to use its space services.

[03:48.69] Yuko Nakagawa is a ruling-party lawmaker who represents Taiki and neighboring communities.

[03:58.25] She said she sees the TiSpace project as "a symbol of Taiwan-Japan friendship."

[04:06.48] She noted that the addition of more international businesses to the area can help create a large space complex to serve a number of nations.

[04:19.77] Japanese officials have said they want the country’s private space industry to be worth more than $50 billion by the early 2030s.

[04:32.78] The space program could include up to 30 rocket launches a year.

[04:38.63] Reuters reported that Japan is negotiating a space technology agreement with the United States that could open the door for private American rocket launches in Japan.