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In 2003, Japan's three aerospace organizations merged to form JAXA. The new agency handles all aspects of space development, from basic research to actual space exploration. It is important, at this early stage in JAXA's history, to show the significance of this unification.
The integration of the three organizations is a challenge. Different strategies are required for basic research on one hand and application development on the other. Though JAXA has a unified strategy for the whole organization, it is natural to have different departmental strategies for different divisions: basic research vs. building applications or space development vs. terrestrial aviation. A research group is a place to seek new knowledge, with emphasis on intellectual exploration. In an application group, by contrast, there is a clearer focus on practical results. In other words, they belong to very different worlds. In research, it may be that only three out of every thousand ideas can eventually be applied, but for those whose job is to actualize the research, the top priority is minimizing risk. I think this is an important difference to keep in mind.
As far as research is concerned, given our limited resources, selecting what to focus on will be the key, as always. Paying attention to world trends, it is important to consider how to build on Japan's strengths. As for applications, we need to clarify Japan's mission, and focus on low-cost and effective methodologies.
Research and application teams, which have different cultures, have been merged into one organization, and clearly it is not easy for them to bond quickly. It will be helpful to build good relationships as communication between these different teams is smoothed out. The teams are also physically far apart, but I believe that the obstacles this poses can be overcome gradually, through better communication between staff.
Old bureaucratic habits that can still be found in the organization should be wiped out. At the same time, management and information-sharing can be improved by introducing the latest computer systems, and thus decision-making can be accelerated.
It is also delightful that JAXA takes contributing to children's education very seriously. With such attractive material - Space - we need to make even greater efforts to conduct educational activities in collaboration with business organizations. The future of Japanese space development depends on attracting promising young talent to continue the work.
Various things have happened to Japanese space development in the last several years. This year is the time to get our work back in the right orbit, and JAXA must have a new vision and new policies to achieve this. A new vision is now being developed, and it will be ready by March.
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 Japan's aeronautics industry has been lagging behind since the post-war years; however, it has produced great engineers, and I am looking forward to the production of new aircraft.
From a consumer's point of view, it would be great if inter-continental flights could be shortened. The Concord, which used to fly between Europe and the United States in three and a half hours, was very handy. Today, a flight from Japan to the U.S. takes ten to fourteen hours. It would be very convenient if this were shortened to half that time, or even a quarter. I am hopeful that we can make this happen, while keeping the flights comfortable, environmentally friendly, and competitive in cost.
However, we should never overlook safety. The Concord was discontinued because it became unsafe, so this is a primary issue to overcome. |
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