An opening ceremony for Japan Innovation
Campus took place in November 2023.
Attended by entrepreneurs, venture capital
representatives and academics, more than 50
companies registered with JIC, including core
working members and office members.

ACTIVATINGJAPAN’S STARTUPECOSYSTEMFROM SILICON VALLEY

The Japanese government has established Japan Innovation Campus in Silicon
Valley, a base for supporting domestic startups eager to enter overseas markets.
The aim is to create a supportive ecosystem for incubating startups that cancompete on the world stage.
Startups
arefrequentlytorchbearers of innovation,
and as such, are indispensable
for activating the economy andsustaining its growth. The Kishida
Administration, which declared2022 to be the “first year forfounding startups,” announced theStartup Development Five-year
Plan in November of the same year.

The goals of the plan are to create
an ecosystem for nurturing startups
bypromoting
collaboration
among industry, government,
and academia, and to increase
investment in startups ten-fold overthe five-year period of the plan.
Emphasis was also placedon nurturing startups that cancompete in the global market. That

“We want to work actively towardbuilding relations with local venture
capital firms,” says JIC general manager
AKASHI Hiroyo.

led the Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry (METI) to establish
the Japan Innovation Campus(JIC) in Silicon Valley, California,
United States, which possesses oneof the world’s most well-developed
ecosystems for startups. JIC acts
as a support base for Japanesestartups, offering global businessdevelopment and assistance incurrently
registeredwith JIC. Five are“office members”—i.e.,
startups that use private
office spaces,—including
HOMMA, a company
creating smart homes in
the U.S. by integrating all
stages of development ofJIC is situated in central Palo Alto. Its proximity to Stanford
the related hardware andUniversity means it is excellently located.
software, and Cuorips
pursuing collaboration with U.S. Inc., a developer of the iPS cellstartups and venture capital (VC) derived cardiomyocyte sheetsfirms, as well as linking them needed for heart transplants. Theto financing from local venture remaining companies are “cocapital firms and networking working members,” which utilize
possibilities with other startups. co-working spaces in the building.
It also links them to globally Drop-in users have also beenranked universities, other academic accepted.
While JIC will help matchorganizations, and administrative
business partners and support
bodies in the region.
JIC is situated in central Palo members as they settle into life
Alto, a city south of San Francisco in Silicon Valley, its main focus isthat lies at the center of Silicon the creation of a community thatValley. The century-old two-story brings people and entities together.
structure housing its offices has a “A ‘campus’ is not just a place.
warm appearance and was once Our name—Japan Innovation
occupied by a local VC firm and a Campus—reflects the hope thatdesign firm. The opening ceremony, ours will truly be a campus where
which took place in November information and experiences of2023, was attended by then- failure are shared and people learn
METI Minister NISHIMURA with and from each other,” says
Yasutoshi, former U.S. Ambassador Akashi. “It will be a place whereto Japan John Roos, then-Mayor of the wisdom of individuals is
Palo Alto Lydia Kou, various other gathered and can be applied to theleaders of the region, Stanford experiences of others. Cultivating
University officials, and VC such an environment will expand
representatives. “It was a genial the ecosystem, supporting the next
gathering that reflected high hopes generation of entrepreneurs andfor the future of Japanese startups,” ecosystem members,” she adds.
JIC officially opened its doors
says AKASHI Hiroyo, JIC generalin January 2024. Numerous
manager.
Selected via numerous open events and seminars have alreadyrecruitment screenings, about taken place there, with members
50 startups, mainly in the IT, engaging in lively intergroup
bio and healthcare sectors, are exchanges. In Silicon Valley, it isessential for businesses to take off
as quickly as possible, so JIC values
three attitudes in its support ofkeen entrepreneurs: chase yourvision, fail and learn, and pay itforward.
Akashi explains, “Before all
else, a business must succeed as abusiness. The individuals whosebusinesses succeed through JIC
will add to the high reputation of
the Japanese startup ecosystem in
Silicon Valley, and they will passon the knowledge they have gained
through the center to the next
generation of startups. That is thekind of ‘pay it forward’ culture that
we want to nurture here.”

JIC frequently hosts seminars and study sessions
where entrepreneurs, local venture capitalists,
and accelerators engage in energetic discussions.