JAXA-Certified Venture Tenchijin Receives Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the 10th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award
JAXA-certified space venture Tenchijin Inc. has received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the 10th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award. The award was for the development of "Space Water Bureau," a water leak risk assessment and management system that utilizes satellite data and AI analysis. The system has been shown to improve leak detection efficiency sixfold and reduce survey costs by 79% in a pilot municipality.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 05:11
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 26, 2026 at 21:27 (1384h 15m after Published)
Tenchijin Inc., a JAXA-certified space venture based in Chuo-ku, Tokyo (CEO: Yasuhito Sakuraba), is pleased to announce that it has received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the "10th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award," an event co-hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
About the Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award
The "Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award" honors especially outstanding individuals from all generations involved in "monodzukuri" (manufacturing), including mid-career personnel who are the backbone of manufacturing and production sites, skilled veterans who have supported traditional and cultural techniques, and young talent who will lead the future.
This award has been co-hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology since 2005, making this the 10th event.
This time, the four related ministries selected 8 winners (25 individuals) for the Prime Minister's Award. In addition, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selected 13 winners (58 individuals, 1 organization) for the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award.
Quote: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry News Release | Winners of the 10th "Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award" Prime Minister's Award and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award Announced
Award Overview
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Award-Winning Project
Development of a water leak risk assessment and management system (Space Water Bureau) utilizing satellite data and AI analysis
Project Summary
To address the societal challenge of aging water infrastructure, we developed the "Space Water Bureau," a leak risk assessment and management system that allows easy identification of risk areas without needing specialized knowledge of water pipes. It assesses water pipe leakage risk by using AI to investigate and analyze surface temperature, climate, and ground data from over 500 satellites owned by domestic and international space agencies such as JAXA, NASA, and ESA, along with water pipe data held by water utilities. In a case study with an implementing municipality, it achieved a six-fold increase in leak discovery efficiency and a 79% reduction in survey costs.
Winner's Comment:
This time...