MASC

What MASC does

MASC (Mizushima Aero Space Cluster, 一般社団法人MASC) is a general incorporated association (nonprofit) headquartered in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, that promotes development of an aerospace industry cluster in the Setouchi region. Founded as a voluntary research group in November 2017 and incorporated on April 1, 2021, the organization operates with approximately 40 member companies and coordinates three working groups: a drone committee, a flying car committee, and an education committee. Its stated goal is to develop a 1 trillion yen (1兆円) aerospace industry in the Okayama-Kurashiki-Mizushima-Setouchi region, building on the area's historical aviation manufacturing heritage.

MASC's core activity is facilitating the demonstration, deployment, and adoption of next-generation air mobility technology in Japan. It holds an exclusive partnership with EHang Holdings for Japanese operations and placed the first domestic order for the VT-30 long-range AAV in December 2021. It secured Japan's first outdoor eVTOL test flight permit from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in June 2021, and has since conducted demonstration flights in Okayama, Fukushima, Hiroshima, Oita, Kagawa, and Hyogo. It also operates the Kurashiki Flying Car Exhibition Hall (くらしき空飛ぶクルマ展示場), a public-facing facility showcasing eVTOL technology. Leadership is led by Representative Director Hiroshi Kirino (桐野宏司), who concurrently chairs Setouchi Engineering Co., Ltd.

The organization's revenue model is diversified across four streams: annual membership fees from approximately 40 corporate members, event sponsorship and participation fees (anchored by the annual Aerospace Business Forum), government grants and municipal subsidies (including a disaster prevention cooperation agreement with Kurashiki City signed January 2022), and fees from educational programs such as the YAOKI lunar rover workshops delivered with Dymon Co., Ltd. and space-development projects with Kanzei High School. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. Strategic positioning centers on becoming the coordinating body for next-generation mobility (flying cars, drones, and eventually satellites) across western Japan, with explicit ties to the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo as a near-term commercialization catalyst.

Name

MASC

Legal name

一般社团法人MASC

Website

https://masc-jp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

MASC (Mizushima Aero Space Cluster) is a Japanese nonprofit industry association in Kurashiki, Okayama, that coordinates demonstration of eVTOL aircraft and drones, aerospace education, and cluster development across approximately 40 member companies and regional governments in the Setouchi region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Industry Association

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Helicopter Air Taxi & Urban Air Mobility (eVTOL/VTOL) Passenger Services (THABAGAC)

Keywords

• Aerospace industry cluster
• Flying car promotion
• Drone technology demonstrations
• Aerospace education programs
• EVTOL demonstration flights

Headquarters

HQ city

Kurashiki (倉敷市)

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: MASC operates as a membership-based association with annual membership fees from approximately 40 companies and organizations. The membership supports operational costs and activities.
2. Event hosting and forum participation: MASC organizes and hosts the annual 航空宇宙ビジネスフォーラム in Kurashiki, attracting member and public participation, generating revenue through sponsorship and participation fees.
3. Government grants and subsidies: MASC receives government funding and collaborates with municipalities on projects such as disaster prevention agreements and demonstration experiments, which may include public funding.
4. Education and workshop programs: MASC conducts educational programs in partnership with schools (KANZEI rocket development project, YAOKI lunar rover workshop), generating revenue through program fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MASC is a Japanese general incorporated association (nonprofit) that operates as a regional aerospace industry cluster, coordinating approximately 40 member companies around next-generation air mobility. It organizes flying car (eVTOL) demonstration flights (notably with EHang's EH216 and VT-30 AAV), drone business studies, annual Aerospace Business Forums, and educational programs (rocket development, lunar rover workshops). The organization also operates a public flying car exhibition hall and rental meeting space in Kurashiki, Okayama.

Product overview

MASC (Mizushima Aero Space Cluster) is a general incorporated association that serves as an industry promotion organization for the aerospace sector in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Rather than offering a unified software product or platform, MASC provides physical facilities and services including a flying car exhibition hall (くらしき空飛ぶくるま展示場), rental meeting spaces (多目的スペース), and commemorative merchandise (ロケットもなか). The organization focuses on promoting flying cars, drones, and aerospace education through demonstration activities, industry forums, and educational programs rather than selling software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• くらしき空飛ぶクルマ展示場: Exhibition space for flying cars operated by MASC in Kurashiki.

Products and services

• Kurashiki Flying Car Exhibition Hall (くらしき空飛ぶクルマ展示場)

Quantifiable outcome

• Conducted Japan's first outdoor eVTOL test flight (EH216 in Okayama, June 2021)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Next-Generation Mobility Setouchi Consortium (次世代モビリティ瀬戸内コンソーシアム)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2022A consortium established in February 2022 with MASC and regional chambers of commerce and industry (Kurashiki, Okayama, Kasaoka, Himeji, Setouchi) to promote next-generation mobility (flying cars, drones) across the Setouchi region. The consortium aims to solve logistics and mobility challenges in island and rural areas through demonstration experiments.
• Keio University / Nakano Laboratory (慶應義塾大学 中野冠研究室)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2022MASC conducts joint research with Keio University on 'Flying Car Needs and Acceptability Survey in Okayama Prefecture.' Professor Masaru Nakano has delivered keynote lectures at MASC forums and serves as an advisor on urban air mobility strategy.
• Kurashiki City (倉敷市)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2022MASC signed a disaster prevention cooperation agreement with Kurashiki City for the use of drones and flying cars in emergency response. The agreement covers information gathering during disasters, transport of rescue equipment, and coordination during normal times for training and exercises.
• EHang Holdings LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2021MASC has a strategic partnership with Chinese eVTOL manufacturer EHang for operating and demonstrating AAV aircraft in Japan. In December 2021, MASC placed the first domestic order for EHang's VT-30 long-range AAV. MASC has conducted multiple joint demonstration flights using EH216 aircraft, including Japan's first outdoor eVTOL test flight in Okayama (June 2021) and subsequent flights in Fukushima, Hiroshima, Oita, Kagawa, and Hyogo.
• Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework / Namie Town (福島イノベーション・コースト構想 / 浪江町)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2021In December 2021, MASC and EHang conducted Japan's first eVTOL test flight at the Fukushima Robot Test Field runway (浪江滑走路), in cooperation with the Fukushima Innovation Coast Initiative and Namie Town.
• Fukushima Innovation Coast Promotion Organization (一般財団法人 福島イノベーション・コースト構想推進機構)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2021The Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework organization cooperated with MASC on the EH216 demonstration flight at the Fukushima Robot Test Field.
• Dymon Co., Ltd. (株式会社ダイモン)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2021Dymon, developer of the YAOKI lunar rover selected for NASA's Artemis program, partnered with MASC for educational workshops. MASC's education committee hosted YAOKI workshops at Kanzei High School and Tamano High School, introducing students to space development through hands-on experience with the lunar rover.
• Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism / Civil Aviation Bureau (国土交通省 航空局)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2021MASC obtained Japan's first outdoor test flight permit for the EH216 eVTOL from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Civil Aviation Bureau, enabling the first legal demonstration flights in Japan.
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries / DMG Mori (三菱重工業 / DMG森精機)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2019MASC has collaborated with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and DMG Mori on aerospace manufacturing initiatives, including an inspection tour to DMG Mori's Iga facility in August 2019. DMG Mori executives have given presentations at MASC forums on aerospace parts machining.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EHang Holdings: Chinese eVTOL manufacturer and MASC's exclusive strategic partner for Japan demonstration flights. EHang provides the EH216 and VT-30 platforms that MASC operates, making it the most directly comparable commercial counterparty in MASC's value chain.
• SkyDrive: Japan-based eVTOL aircraft developer (Toyota-backed) building single-pilot SD-05 aircraft and participating in the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 eVTOL demonstration. Operates in the same Japanese UAM ecosystem that MASC's cluster development targets.

Broad incumbents

• Joby Aviation: U.S.-based eVTOL developer with global ambitions and a deep partnership with Toyota for Japan market entry. Represents the type of international OEM that MASC's cluster and regulatory milestones could attract to Japan.
• Volocopter: German eVTOL pioneer (VoloCity and VoloRegion) that has been active in Osaka-Kansai Expo planning. Comparable as an international eVTOL company engaging with Japanese regulators and municipalities for demonstration flights.
• Archer Aviation: U.S.-based eVTOL developer (Midnight) with United Airlines and Stellantis backing. Comparable as a well-capitalized international eVTOL company exploring Asia-Pacific corridors.
• Lilium: German eVTOL developer building the 7-seat Lilium Jet regional air mobility platform. Comparable as an international eVTOL OEM pursuing Japan/Asia-Pacific market entry and regional air mobility partnerships.
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries: Japan's largest aerospace and defense manufacturer and a MASC partner (DMG Mori / MHI collaboration on aerospace manufacturing). Comparable as a major Japanese aerospace player engaging with MASC's regional cluster ecosystem.
• JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency): Japan's national aerospace agency and a likely partner/observer of MASC's regional cluster activities. Comparable as a Japan-based aerospace promotion and research organization, though at a national rather than regional scale.

Emerging players

• Vertical Aerospace: UK-based eVTOL developer (VX4) with international airline partnerships. Comparable as a foreign eVTOL OEM likely to seek Japanese regional partners and demonstration pathways similar to MASC's offerings.

Regional players

• Suzuki Motor Corporation (Mizushima operations): Major manufacturer in the Mizushima industrial complex adjacent to MASC's Kurashiki base. MASC explicitly leverages Suzuki's manufacturing heritage (1941-1945 aircraft history) and the Mizushima cluster's engineering workforce to develop its aerospace member companies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MASC_Kurashiki
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@masc1279
• Facebookfacebook.com/masc.kurashiki
• Instagraminstagram.com/masc.evtol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about MASC