Japan builds a navigation network that can run without GPS

Overview

Updated Aug 11

Every phone map, ride-share pickup, and delivery van in Japan has leaned on a signal owned by the United States. On August 11, Japan moved to change that. An H3 rocket carried the Michibiki No. 7 satellite to orbit, giving Japan enough satellites overhead to fix a position without the US Global Positioning System.

The network is regional, not global, and one earlier satellite was lost in a December rocket failure. But for the airspace and roads over Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific, the country can now navigate on its own signals. That matters if GPS is ever jammed, spoofed, or switched off.

Why it matters

If GPS is ever jammed or cut off over Japan, phones, cars, and aircraft there can now keep navigating on Japan's own satellites.

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Key Indicators

Satellites always over Japan

With QZS-7 in orbit, four Michibiki satellites are constantly visible from Japan, enough to fix a position alone.

6 cm

Positioning accuracy

Michibiki's augmentation service can pin a location to about six centimeters with a compatible receiver.

~29 min

Time to satellite separation

QZS-7 separated into its planned orbit about 29 minutes after liftoff.

Target constellation size

Japan plans to grow the network to 11 satellites by the late 2030s for backup and reliability.

2 of 9

H3 launch failures

The H3 rocket has failed twice in nine flights, most recently in December 2025.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Hiroshi Yamakawa

President, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Led the task force that traced the December 2025 H3 failure and oversaw the return to flight

Organizations Involved

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Space agency

Built and launched QZS-7 aboard its H3 rocket

Japan's national space agency, which develops the H3 rocket and launches the country's navigation satellites.

Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), Cabinet Office of Japan

Government satellite program

Operator of Japan's Michibiki navigation network

Japan's regional satellite navigation program, nicknamed the 'Japanese GPS,' run by the Cabinet Office.

Timeline

September 2010 August 2026

5 events Latest: August 11th, 2026 · 3 months ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

August 2026
QZS-7 reaches orbit
Latest Launch

An H3 rocket delivers Michibiki No. 7 to orbit, giving Japan four satellites always overhead and GPS-independent positioning. It was the H3's second straight success.
August 11th, 2026 • 04:23 JST
December 2025
H3 failure destroys QZS-5
Setback

The H3's second-stage engine fails to reignite and shuts down early, and the QZS-5 navigation satellite is lost.
December 22nd, 2025
March 2023
H3 rocket fails on debut
Setback

The new H3 rocket fails on its first flight due to a second-stage problem, losing an Earth observation satellite.
March 7th, 2023
November 2018
Four-satellite service starts
Milestone

QZSS begins operating with four satellites, keeping one almost directly overhead Japan to sharpen positioning in dense cities.
November 1st, 2018
September 2010
First Michibiki satellite launches
Milestone

Japan launches QZS-1, the first satellite in what starts as a system to improve GPS accuracy over the country.
September 11th, 2010

Scenarios

Japan declares full GPS-independent positioning operational

Likely Resolves by Aug 11, 2027

Discussed by: Cabinet Office of Japan, QZSS program updates

QZS-7 checks out on orbit and the Cabinet Office confirms that four Michibiki satellites deliver sustained positioning over Japan without relying on GPS. Commissioning a navigation satellite usually takes months of orbit-raising and signal testing before the service is declared operational.

Japan orders a replacement for the lost QZS-5

Uncertain Resolves by Aug 11, 2028

Discussed by: The Register, GPS World

The December failure left the network one satellite short of its planned seven, and current plans include no dedicated replacement for QZS-5. Pressure to close that gap could push Japan to fund a new build. If no order comes, the network stays at six satellites while three additional planned craft wait for the 2030s.

H3 suffers another launch failure

Unlikely Resolves by Aug 11, 2027

Discussed by: SpaceNews, Spaceflight Now

The H3 has failed twice in nine flights, both times from second-stage engine trouble. Another failure on an upcoming mission would renew doubts about the rocket's reliability and Japan's plans to sell it commercially. Two consecutive successes suggest the December fix held, but the flight record remains short.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 2016

Europe's Galileo goes live (2016)

The European Union switched on Galileo, its own satellite navigation system, after nearly two decades of work and cost overruns. Europe built it partly to avoid depending on the US military-controlled GPS, which Washington can degrade or restrict in a crisis.

Then

Galileo began offering early positioning services in 2016 with a partial constellation, before reaching fuller operation later.

Now

Galileo is now one of four global navigation systems and is used by billions of smartphones worldwide.

Why this matters now

Like Japan, Europe wanted navigation it controlled rather than a signal owned by another government. Japan's version is regional, but the motive is the same.

June 2020

China completes BeiDou (2020)

China launched the final satellite of BeiDou-3, finishing a global navigation network built to end its reliance on GPS. The push accelerated after a 1996 crisis in which China blamed a lost GPS signal for missile tests going wrong near Taiwan.

Then

BeiDou reached global coverage with about 30 satellites, serving both civilian and military users.

Now

China now runs a fully independent global positioning system and exports the service across Asia, Africa, and beyond.

Why this matters now

BeiDou shows how a country treats GPS dependence as a strategic risk. Japan is answering the same worry with a smaller, regional system focused on its own territory.

May 2000

GPS Selective Availability switched off (2000)

For years the US military deliberately degraded civilian GPS accuracy, a feature called Selective Availability, to blur precision for potential adversaries. In May 2000 the US turned it off, instantly sharpening civilian positioning worldwide.

Then

Civilian GPS accuracy improved roughly tenfold overnight, spurring consumer navigation and mapping products.

Now

The episode reminded other governments that a single country controlled the switch on a service the world depended on.

Why this matters now

It is the clearest example of why nations build their own systems. Whoever owns the satellites can dial the signal up or down, and Japan wanted that control at home.