Japan wants LEO constellation
June 19, 2026



Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications is allocating $1 billion (described as 1,600 billion Yen) for its planned J-LEO constellation of low Earth orbiting satellites.

The plan is to build a satellite infrastructure that allows direct communication with regular smartphones its citizens already own—no dead zones, even in remote mountains, at sea, or during disasters. It’s essential in Japan, where disasters are frequent.


The public consultation period ended on May 31st, and the successful bidder is to be announced by the end of June.

The requirements, as set by the government are:
・Nationwide rollout by March 2029
・Secure smooth video calls on regular smartphones for 16+ hours a day
・Complete all network and data control domestically in Japan (data sovereignty)
・Enable free roaming across carriers during disasters

There are suggestions locally that the likely path forward will be Japan to choose an existing satellite operator. If correct, this means selecting a well-established player, such as SpaceX’s Starlink (which has Japan’s KDDI as its local telco partner) or AST SpaceMobile (which has as its local partner Rakuten Mobile).

However, there’s reportedly something of a buzz among some overseas enthusiasts that Canada-based MDA Space could emerge as a dark horse, but they can’t proceed without partnering with a Japanese carrier—and given the progress of domestic proof-of-concept tests and the stringency of conditions, the two camps above are still the heavy favourites.