Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
plans to request ¥23.5 bln (about $148m) in FY2027 to expand H3 rocket launch
capacity, roughly eight times FY2026's ¥2.9 bln. The funding would raise annual
H3 launches from three in 2025 to six–eight and cut minimum turnaround between
launches from about two months to two weeks to win overseas satellite launch
business currently dominated by SpaceX. MEXT's total FY2027 aerospace and
aviation R&D request would be ¥375 bln, up from ¥151.3 bln in FY2026.