Projects - Asia
Startup Japan
Projects - Asia
Startup Japan
About the Project

Japan’s startup ecosystem is critical to the country’s future. It injects much-needed flexibility and dynamism into Japan’s rigid postwar social structures and an economy dominated by large firms. Japan’s startup ecosystem will influence the technological and strategic trajectories that large firms and much of the economy pursue. This series features data, company cases, policy analyses, and individual stories to illustrate this transformative force within Japan that took decades to mature but is now ready to take off.

Programs

Asia

The Asia Program in Washington studies disruptive security, governance, and technological risks that threaten peace, growth, and opportunity in the Asia-Pacific region, including a focus on China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula.

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Featured Content

Featured Content

commentary
Startup Japan: Series Overview

Japan's startup ecosystem, which grew as a relatively peripheral segment of Japan’s economy throughout much of its recent history, is now front and center in getting attention from the government and big business.

commentary
Startup Japan: Series Overview

Japan's startup ecosystem, which grew as a relatively peripheral segment of Japan’s economy throughout much of its recent history, is now front and center in getting attention from the government and big business.

All work from Startup Japan

13 Results
event
On the Frontier of U.S.-Japan Tech Collaborations
March 28, 2024

The United States and Japan continue to make technology collaborations a core pillar of their bilateral relationship, but many governmental discussions around trade and investment are framed by traditional and increasingly outdated notions of what is happening on the ground.

  • +1
  • Kenji Kushida
  • Aki Jiang
  • Ryosuke (Ricky) Sakai
  • Wataru (Doug) Kuribayashi
commentary
How Japan Pushed to Globalize Its Startup Ecosystem During the APEC Week

Japanese entrepreneurs face high hurdles to compete in Silicon Valley. Among many factors, three stand out.

· December 6, 2023
event
Accelerating U.S.-Japan Tech Innovation
March 30, 2023

Top leaders in both the US and Japan continue their commitments to put innovation as a core pillar of the bilateral relationship, but not enough is known about how this cutting-edge collaboration is actually driven more by the private sector.

event
Why the U.S.-Japan Tech Alliance Needs Silicon Valley
February 21, 2023

Carnegie senior fellow Kenji Kushida will discuss how Washington and Tokyo can harness the cutting-edge collaborations taking place in Silicon Valley to help transform the vital U.S.-Japan alliance.

paper
The People Powering Japan’s Startup Ecosystem

Japan’s startup ecosystem has arrived at a pivot point: for the first time, it is able to draw top-tier talent to high-growth startups at a scale that was not possible just 15 years ago.

· February 1, 2023
event
Digitally Transforming Japan: A Conversation With Former Digital Minister Karen Makishima
November 7, 2022

Former minister Karen Makishima will discuss how Japan’s Digital Agency is spearheading the country’s digital transformation and what challenges might lie ahead.

article
Japan’s Venture Capital Industry: Snapshot of Growth and Transformation

Japan's venture capital industry has grown to unprecedented prominence. Fueled by increasing social legitimacy and support from the Kishida administration, Japan's venture capital is poised to drive the startup ecosystem to the next level.

· October 17, 2022
article
How Japan’s Startup Ecosystem Grew Alongside Its Large Firms

To understand how Japan’s economy changes over time, it is important to differentiate the traditional, new, and hybrid parts that coexist—observers who look at only the traditional areas may conclude that very little has changed, while those more familiar with the new areas see rapid and extensive change.

· August 10, 2022
article
Ready for Prime Time: Japan’s Maturing Startup Ecosystem

Japan is determined to foster a startup economy. But every startup ecosystem is built on several components and a strategic conception of how they fit together. Cracking this puzzle will be Japan's challenge.

· August 9, 2022
commentary
Startup Japan: Series Overview

Japan's startup ecosystem, which grew as a relatively peripheral segment of Japan’s economy throughout much of its recent history, is now front and center in getting attention from the government and big business.

· August 9, 2022