Rakuten Group will hold a financial results briefing for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 on August 10th. Chairman and President Hiroshi Mikitani mentioned satellite communications. This comment was made in response to the selection of RAST, a group affiliated company, as a subsidy for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' space project ``J-LEO'' (Low Earth Orbit Satellite Infrastructure Development Project to Ensure Autonomy).
On June 30th, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications officially selected RAST (representative applicant) and Rakuten Mobile, which is partnering with US AST SpaceMobile, as indirect subsidy operators for the J-LEO, a 150 billion yen national project that aims to secure the autonomy of satellite direct communication services in Japan. The selection for this development project and the policy of granting subsidies of up to approximately 150 billion yen are a form of strong government support for the realization of the "space communication platform" promoted by Rakuten.
Firm confidence in "broadband satellite communication" different from Starlink
At the briefing, Mr. Mikitani talked about the decisive differences in the system that Rakuten is co-developing with AST SpaceMobile, keeping in mind its leading competitor Starlink.
Mr. Mikitani pointed out, ``To be honest, Starlink's short messages may be at the level where you can connect as long as you can see the sky, but I personally feel that broadband (high-speed, high-capacity communication) is technically quite difficult.'' In response, he said, ``AST SpaceMobile may truly become the only (broadband) service in depopulated areas and at sea in the future,'' emphasizing its potential as a high-speed internet communication that supports daily life and economic activities.
Furthermore, he recognized that this technology is extremely important for national security and disaster prevention. ``In addition to providing a service that can be used in a variety of ways for the benefit of the country, I also believe that we are carrying an extremely important responsibility as it will be the first low-orbit satellite of Japanese nationality,'' he said, revealing a strong sense of mission in building Japan's own low-orbit satellite network.
Lessons learned from the Kumamoto Earthquake and new disaster countermeasures brought about by satellite “mobile area adjustment”
During the 2020 Kumamoto Earthquake that occurred in July 2026, Rakuten Mobile worked hard to secure communications in the affected areas. Looking back, Mikitani said, ``We did the best we could at this point,'' but he is also considering ways to learn from this disaster and become even more resilient.
Regarding specific disaster countermeasures, he stated, ``It is extremely important to create a system that allows services to continue even in the event of a power outage, and above all, it is extremely important that AST SpaceMobile can provide broadband.'' He positioned communications backup from space as a key to disaster countermeasures.
Flexible area adjustment using low-orbit satellites is especially effective when base stations on the ground are damaged. Mr. Mikitani explained the concept, saying, ``In the event of a major disaster like this, we can move the target area flexibly.We would like to allocate a more generous frequency band to the disaster area and continue providing services.'' This is a disaster prevention approach that flexibly shifts the focus of radio waves from the sky, depending on the situation in the disaster-stricken area, and centrally delivers generous communications resources.
As Mr. Mikitani emphasized, ``Once again, AST SpaceMobile's J-LEO project in Japan will become extremely important in the future,'' and its selection as a national project will accelerate the establishment of a communications safety net in case of emergencies.
Establishing Japan's first "national space infrastructure"
What became clear from Mr. Mikitani's remarks is that Rakuten's space strategy is a unique attempt to deliver ``full-fledged broadband that allows direct communication with smartphones'' to all of Japan and the oceans.
Japan's unique low-orbit satellites, which will be realized through the J-LEO project, will be the key to autonomously maintaining the country's communications infrastructure, unaffected by the external environment even in emergencies. While increasing independence on the ground by building approximately 320,000 in-house base stations, from the sky we will launch a ``Japanese low-orbit satellite'' with the strong backing of a national project. Rakuten's space strategy, which pursues strong resilience from both the ground and the sky, is definitely ready for operation as a new communications infrastructure that protects Japan's safety and security.
