Japan is promising a “golden age” of relationship with the U.S. after Donald Trump’s visit and meeting with Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. And that includes plans to have one-hour flights between the U.S. and Japan via outer space. The ambitious project was announced during Trump’s second day in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Nippon Travel Agency Co., the company behind the idea, aims to boost space tourism in the near future with work starting as early as 2026. However, travelers think it’s just “another OceanGate” as they express safety concerns. They think billionaires are likely to be the first passengers, what with the steep price point for these flights. Here’s a closer look at Japan’s space flights to the U.S.
Japanese Travel Agency Plans 1-Hour U.S.-Tokyo Space Flights
Concept of a futuristic space tourism aircraft flying high above the Earth. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.Credit: andrey_l/Shutterstock
On October 28, Nippon Travel President Keigo Yoshida announced their plans to launch a one-hour “point-to-point transport service” between Tokyo and U.S. cities via outer space. The travel agency is partnering with Innovative Space Carrier Inc., a reusable rocket development startup. Passengers would have to shell out 100 million yen or approximately $657,000 for a roundtrip space flight.
“We hope this business will be a new starting point to connect space travel and tourism,” Yoshida said during a press conference in Tokyo.
Innovative Space Carrier President, Kojiro Hatada, aims to lower the flight costs by maximizing the number of trips possible in every rocket’s life span. According to its website, the company is currently working on a Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) Advanced Space Carrier Aircraft (ASCA), which is designed to reach orbit from a planet’s surface without dropping any parts.
The multi-stage project will begin in fiscal 2026, with plans to roll out the service in the 2040s. Advanced applications will also be accepted next year, when space food-testing and tours of ground facilities related to the space flights will kick off as well.
Founded in 1905, Nippon Travel Agency is Japan’s oldest travel agency and a leader in the industry. They serve more than 200,000 travelers to Japan every year, from individuals to groups, and business travelers. It’s able to host amazing tours given its major partnerships, including the West Japan Railway Company.
Travelers Compare U.S.-Japan Space Flights To OceanGate Tragedy
Nippon Travel’s planned U.S.-Japan space flights immediately sparked OceanGate comparisons among travelers. In a Reddit discussion, people called the project “risky,” joking that once out, they would only give it a try after “the top 10 billionaires try the service” first. Aside from the safety of the flights, people also expressed their concerns about space tourism’s overall impact.
As a form of mass commercial travel, [the U.S.-Japan space flight] is not economically feasible. As a form of space tourism marketed to the wealthy, yes,” one wrote.
Some even think the concept may not even work in the first place. In a separate forum, someone said it’s “lunacy” for such space flights to operate in the next decade. But such space tourism is already technically feasible. The main issues, really, are the cost, commercial demand, and long-term sustainability. You also have environmental factors such as carbon emissions, which are already a problem in air travel.
A Japanese Billionaire Has Actually Flown To Space For Tourism
Speaking of billionaires, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa once flew to space in December 2021 for a 12-day trip. At that time, he became the first self-funded Japanese space tourist to visit the International Space Station (ISS) in more than a decade. Maezawa safely landed back on earth, completing his training for his then-planned SpaceX trip.
Maezawa was named the first private passenger for SpaceX’s #dearMoon flyby mission that was set to launch in late 2023. Artists were even invited by the billionaire for an art project. But Maezawa eventually canceled the trip in June 2024 due to developmental delays with the SpaceX Starship rocket, reminding us of the continuous trials and errors in space tourism efforts.
AloJapan.com