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I want people to make the most of "space" in whatever way they can, and to inspire as many people as possible.

Director and Business Development Manager of SPACE FOODSPHERE General Incorporated Association
Director/CMO of Space Food Lab. Inc.
Director of Kyushu Future Co-creation General Incorporated Association
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) New Business Promotion Department, Planning and Coordination Division, Section Chief
Yuta Kikuchi

Space business is gaining attention both in Japan and around the world. In addition to traditional state-led projects, such as launching rockets and satellites, there is also a remarkable rise in the involvement of private companies, with the use of satellite data and the prospect of space travel. One person who acts as a bridge between the government and private sector in this space business is Yuta Kikuchi, a graduate of the School of Human Sciences at Waseda University. While working for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), a national research and development agency, he also hold a position a company that commercializes space food as a business, and serves as a director for two other space-related general incorporated associations. We spoke to him about what keeps him focused as he pursues a "parallel career" cards and devotes himself to a variety of projects.

The "space axis" and "sports axis" that he explored during his student days

Kikuchi's urge to explore space began when he was in elementary school. In 1990, Space World, a space-themed amusement park, opened in Fukuoka Prefecture, and as a young boy living in the neighboring prefecture of Oita, his desire for space grew stronger. Two years later, Mamoru Mohri became the first Japanese person to fly on a space shuttle. He says he will never forget the excitement he felt at that time.

"At the time, the whole of Japan was excited that Mohri was going into space. Space World was the place that left the deepest impression on me as a boy. In front of a life-size model of the Space Shuttle, there was a performance where you could experience the launch countdown through sound and vibration, and I still remember the thrill I felt at that moment."

Apart from his interest in astronomy, this space boy was also passionate about baseball. Dreaming of one day becoming a play-by-play announcer who could convey the appeal of baseball, he enrolled in the Department of Sports Sciences in the School of Human Sciences *, where he could explore sports.

* School of Sport Sciences was known as the School of Human Sciences until 2002, and became independent in 2003.

Left: In October 1992, astronaut Mamoru Mohri gave a space lesson after returning to Japan. At the time, he inspired dreams in many children.
Photo on the right: Kikuchi practicing his baseball swing on a tree branch when he was in kindergarten

"I searched for a university with both a 'space axis' and a 'sports axis', and the Department of Sports Science in the School of Human Sciences was the perfect fit for me based on the sports axis. At the time, the Waseda University baseball team was at its strongest, with Takeshi Wada (formerly of Softbank) in the year above me, and Kei Toritani (formerly of Hanshin) and Norichika Aoki (formerly of Yakult) in the same year, and I was able to meet many top athletes in other sports as well. I always lived my university life with a sense of respect."

Outside of his studies, Kikuchi's love of baseball led him to start his own baseball student club, join a baseball cheering student club, and immerse himself in baseball. Furthermore, he joined a number of student clubs, including the Broadcasting Research Club (an official student club) with the goal of becoming a news announcer.

"Through my connections with the Broadcasting Research Club, I was able to work part-time in the sports department at Nippon Television, which was a great experience. I learned how important it is for a large number of staff members to work together toward the goal of broadcasting live."

Left: A photo with friends from the baseball student club "LS (Loose Socks)" that he started in his first year of university. The club 's catchphrase was "Let's all wear them and relive the youth of high school." Kikuchi is third from the right in the front row.
Photo on the right: His part-time job at Nippon Television, which he worked from the winter of his first year of university until his fourth year. He was in charge of the AD for a sports program.

During his job hunt in his fourth year at university, Kikuchi focused on both sports and space, which he had never forgotten, and made it to the final interview rounds with a sports newspaper company, a television station, and JAXA. However, he was ultimately not hired by any of them. Two years later, after completing research at the Graduate School of Human Sciences, he was job hunting again, focusing on JAXA rather than sports journalism, and was accepted.

"One factor was that I was able to immerse myself in sports reporting as a part-time worker and to some extent realize part of my dream. However, through that experience I realized my motivation was to be involved in work that would have an impact and change the world. In space development, there are jobs that involve creating something from nothing. There are also many fields and specialized jobs that are unknown to the public. I thought that media might also be a place where I could make use of the strengths I was aiming for, and I think that by shifting more towards space, the path to JAXA opened up for me."

Expanding the horizons of space through "parallel careers"

After joining JAXA, Kikuchi quickly distinguished himself in planning and public relations work. In particular, after joining the Space Education Center, JAXA's public relations department, he dedicated himself to communicating specialized knowledge and current situations related to space to the public in an easy-to-understand manner.

"I had many opportunities to give lectures at elementary and junior high schools, but rather than simply talking about rockets, it was more impactful for children to actually get their hands dirty, such as by making a plastic bottle rocket, and it also gave them an opportunity to realize something. From there, I realized that if I wrote my own scripts and spoke, I could gain the experience I had always wanted to be a news announcer, so I started an online program called 'Space Education TV' and planned various workshops, meeting as many people from the private sector as possible."

Left: A scene from the "Space Disaster Prevention Classroom" held at an elementary school in Ibaraki Prefecture. The class focused on the similarities between life in space, with its restrictions, and life in an evacuation shelter.
Photo on the right: Kikuchi (far right), the MC for Space Education TV. He created everything himself, from the program structure to the script.

Then, in 2018, JAXA launched J-SPARC, a co-creation program for partnership-based technology development and demonstration with private businesses. Kikuchi was involved in the launch and design of this new system, and his activities expanded beyond JAXA.

"In the coming era, when space travel will continue to increase, there will be business opportunities in space-related items such as clothing, food, and shelter. There is a term called 'space quality,' and new business opportunities can arise through the development of products designed for space. I felt that the food business, which is a particularly popular area, represented an opportunity, so I founded the general incorporated association SPACE FOODSPHERE and became involved as a director. It was precisely because I had been interacting with people from outside the industry even before that that I was able to throw myself into this trend."

Left: Photo taken at the time of announcing a partnership program with a private rocket development company as part of J-SPARC activities. Kikuchi is on the far right.
Photo on the right: A photo with members at the time of the launch of SPACE FOODSPHERE in April 2020. Kikuchi is second from the left.

Through this connection, in 2023 he joined Space Food Lab., Inc., which is working to create a business that combines food and space, and became a director in charge of marketing. Furthermore, with the desire to "give something back to his hometown of Kyushu," he founded the general incorporated association Kyushu Mirai Kyoso, which works on "regional revitalization and space" projects together with space-related people from Kyushu, and became a director as the representative of those from Oita Prefecture. At present, he is exploring a "parallel career" work style, using four business cards, including one at JAXA.

Left: In October 2025, as a director of Space Food Lab., he took the microphone at a space food event at the Kyushu Space Business Caravan 2025 Kagoshima, sponsored by Kyushu Mirai Co-creation.
Photo on the right: A photo with representatives from each prefecture in Kyushu, who serves as directors of Kyushu Mirai Co-creation. The second person from the right is Kikuchi. The character in the middle is Kotetsu-kun from Space Academy .

"I joined JAXA in 2006, and it's been 20 years now. Being at JAXA gives me access to the latest space-related information and a wide range of domestic and international networks. However, because it is a national research institute, there are some things we cannot do or that take time to do. My goal through my 'parallel career' is to bridge these gaps and broaden the horizons of space. I want people to make the most of 'space' in whatever way they can, and to inspire as many people as possible. This is a commitment I share in all four organizations."

Kikuchi is devoted to various projects every day, exploring how to connect space with business, and space with the future society. What do you feel during these busy days?

"Even after turning 40, there is still so much to learn. I have heard the saying, 'less than 5% of people change after they turn 40,' but having been involved in a variety of jobs over the past few years, I am keenly aware every day that I need to keep updating myself and growing. In particular, having had a long career at JAXA, a non-profit organization, I still have some weaknesses in my thinking and actions on the business side. If I had stayed at JAXA all my life, I would never have noticed these things."

This "attitude of continuing to learn" is what he wants to convey to students who will be responsible for the future of space.

"It's quite difficult to grow in your 40s (laughs), but your energetic 20s are the time of your life when you can grow the most, and it's an age when you can try all kinds of things, so I hope you will take on new challenges. The attitude of taking on challenges even in unknown areas is like the 'Waseda spirit' that is common across generations. Collaboration between different generations increases the possibility of creating something new. Let's learn together and do something together!"