Tenchijin Inc., a Japanese space-tech company originally incubated by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), announced that its water DX solution, Tenchijin COMPASS KnoWaterleak, has surpassed 100 cumulative municipal contracts in Japan, including renewals.
The Milestone
Since launching in April 2023, the service has been adopted and renewed by utilities across Japan, expanding from leak risk assessment into pipe renewal planning and, most recently, inspection planning for sewer pipelines.
The Problem
Japan records over 20,000 leakage incidents a year, mostly caused by aging pipes. Roughly 189,000 km of the country’s water network is now over 40 years old, according to the Japan Water Works Association’s FY2023 data, with renewal costs running around JPY 200 million per kilometer. With tight budgets and a shrinking technical workforce, replacing every aging pipe isn’t realistic — which is the gap Tenchijin’s preventive-maintenance approach is built to address.
How It Works
First trialed with Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, KnoWaterleak applies AI to satellite data combined with utilities’ own pipe and leak-history records, letting field teams prioritize where to survey. For renewal planning, Tenchijin weighs pipe condition alongside “importance” — reflecting the homes, hospitals, schools, and evacuation centers each line serves — to generate renewal priority scenarios. The same approach now supports sewer inspection planning as well.
In field tests, the platform has shown up to 65% cost reduction and 85% time savings compared to conventional inspection methods.
Recognition and What’s Next
KnoWaterleak is listed in the Water and Sewerage DX Technology Catalogue published by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and it received the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Prize at the 7th Infrastructure Maintenance Grand Prize.
Tenchijin will launch “KnoWaterleak Cloud” in FY2027, a browser-based service for viewing pipe network maps on site, with early access opening to 100 utilities from September 1, 2026. To mark the 100-contract milestone, the company has also released its first brand film on YouTube.
About Tenchijin
Tenchijin Inc. is a space technology company developing satellite-data solutions for infrastructure management. Its flagship product, Tenchijin COMPASS KnoWaterleak, combines satellite data and AI to detect and prevent water leaks.
