Arianespace's new Arianespace's new Chairman and CEO Stephane Israel has made his first major international customer calls, meeting with key Japanese partners during the company's annual Arianespace Japan Week activities in Tokyo.

Israel spoke with leaders from Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and SKY Perfect JSAT during three visits as part of Arianespace's annual outreach to the Japanese market.

The initial scheduled visit was with B-SAT, which has entrusted Arianespace with all seven of the satellites used since its inception. Israel met with B-SAT representatives Kazuo Takenaka, President and CEO; and Takashi Yabashi, Managing Director. All wore pins with seven stars to commemorate the payloads lofted by Arianespace for this Japanese commercial operator.

Israel underscored the need for a strong partnership in his second meeting today, with Naoki Okumura, the president of JAXA at the agency's headquarters in Tokyo. Arianespace lofted the LDREX-1 and LDREX-2 payloads in 2000 and 2006, respectively, for the Japanese space agency.

A meeting with SKY Perfect JSAT - the largest satellite operator in Asia - rounded out Israel's customer visits as he confirmed Arianespace commitment to continuing the quarter-century relationship with this Japanese operator.

Representatives for SKY Perfect JSAT included: Shinji Takada, President and CEO; Osamu Inoue, Director of the Board and Senior Executive Vice President; Yutaka Nagai, Senior Executive Vice President; Koki Koyama, Managing Executive Officer; and Yuichi Hayasaka, Executive Officer and Deputy Group President.

Arianespace's partnership with SKY Perfect JSAT dates back to the launch of Japan's first commercial satellite, JCSAT-1 in March 1989, and has been continued with a multi-launch services agreement inked during September 2012.

For the meetings with SKY Perfect JSAT and B-SAT, Israel was accompanied by former Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall, who is now the President of France's CNES space agency.

As part of further Japan Week activities, Israel also will meet with the press and speak at a reception to highlight Arianespace's role in this key market.

Arianespace opened its Tokyo office in 1986 and since then has won 27 launch contracts out of 36 open to competition - representing a 75-percent market share in the region.