AKABIRA, Hokkaido (Kyodo) Tsutomu Uematsu, 40, who runs a small factory in the central Hokkaido city of Akabira, is working on a dream he has had since he was 11, when he saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon.
"Albeit dimly, I remember seeing an astronaut walking on the moon on a TV program as I sat on my grandfather's lap" said Uematsu, who is managing director of Uematsu Electric Co., which makes small electromagnets used to sort iron scrap.
That moment launched Uematsu's career on a trajectory that parallels the rockets he loves. After graduating from Kitami Institute of Technology, Uematsu took a job with an aircraft manufacturer, helping to determine the aerodynamics of aircraft. He was also part of the team that developed Japan's mainstay rocket, the H-II.