Governor Koike on Tokyo's Startup Push and Global Future【EN】

Tokyo aims to proactively attract investment from both Japan and overseas. strengthening its position uh as a leading business and a key center for startup growth. Tokyo startup strategy launched in 2022, about four years ago. This year we will invest up to 126 million US dollars. to establish two new public-private partnership funds focused on supporting scale-up primarily in strategic growth sectors.

Welcome to Tokyo Outpost. We're joined today by Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo. uh since entering office she's overseen Tokyo through major global events and also helped raise the city's international profile in fields including innovation, sustainability. and uh urban global collaboration. So it's been a while since our last meeting. It's great to be back here speaking with you, Governor Koike. So thank you so much for making the time. Welcome back to Tokyo Metropolitan Government uh Dan.

So um Tokyo has been attracting a lot of international attention uh recently. So not just as a business and um startup hub, but uh also as a more active player in uh global discussions on uh global cooperation and collaboration. Um so I want to And also sport. Sports Yes, World Athletic Game and also the Olympic Games took place last year. Of course, yes, we can't ignore that. Um But I wanted to ask you, we have things like Sushi Tech Tokyo, we have the third uh GNET.

uh Leaders Summit and of course also your appointment to the chair of the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth. So It feels like a very particularly special moment for Tokyo's uh international uh profile. So I wanted to ask you first, um What is it that you think makes Tokyo an attractive hub for business? Thank you very much, said um for introduction uh and introduce Tokyo first. And Turkey has great potential as you know, and i it is home to approximately fourteen million p people.

uh it's a mega city. Yes. And a GDP of about seven hundred billion US dollars, accounting for around twenty percent of Japan's GDP. And Tokyo is also a global hub for high tech. and innovation driven companies, and with one of the world's largest concentrations, Fortune Global 500 headquarters. And Tokyo is very safe, as you know, and its public transportation system is uh consistently reliable. and its food and culture are highly regarded worldwide.

and demonstrating that it has had the world's largest number of Michelin-starred restaurants for 19 consecutive years. And yes. And in addition, the city is clean. And thank you for your cooperation. And the cost of living remains affordable compared with other global cities. Or maybe other cities are so expensive these days. And moreover, Tokyo boasts uh world of class technological capabilities. A notable example is uh air solar. I brought you uh Oh wow, thank you.

uh a next generation solar panel developed in Japan that is only one millimeter thick. It's so thick. Yeah, yeah. Upside down, please. And is a lightweight, very colour, light. and flexible. You can bend it. And the iodine used in air solar ensures a stable supply, as Japan is the world's second largest producer of iodine. and accelerating the creation of new industry through cutting-edge technologies and bold new ideas will inject fresh vitality into the economy.

And what will continue to strengthen support for startups pursuing global challenges and for emerging industries that drive future growth. And also I'd like to add that Tokyo aims to proactively attract investment from both Japan and overseas. strengthening its position uh as a leading business uh hub and a key center for startup growth. Well thank you so much for this. And yes, I can tell you I live in Dublin. Yes. So uh a major European city and it is far, far more expensive than Tokyo.

But let me ask you, um the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been putting uh making great considerable efforts to strengthen Tokyo's start up ecosystem. So I'd like to ask you, um, what do you think has been the biggest achievement of Tokyo's uh start up strategy so far? And what is the top goal for it? Well, Tokyo Startup Strategy, uh, launched in 2022, uh, about four years ago, introduced the 10x10 by 10 innovation vision.

uh which aims to achieve ten times growth over five years in the number of Tokyo based startups. uh or unicorns and collaborative projects between the Metropolitan Government and startup companies. And since then these initiatives have advanced and um accelerated pace. And in particular, collaboration with startups at the front line of Tokyo's administration has significantly accelerated.

So the number of practical public uh private partnership initiatives has increased 28 fold in the two years time, reaching a total of 252 cases. And with platforms in place that connect Turkey to the rest of the rest of Japan and the worldwide. Startup uh startups capable of succeeding on the global stage have begun to emerge. And in only three years. Sushi Tech Tokyo has grown into Egypt's largest global innovation conference.

This is the the the sample of a startup. I love these things. I I collect them now. Yeah, okay. Thank you. And meanwhile, since opening in November twenty twenty three. the startup support hub uh start uh st startup support hub T I B it's called T I B Tokyo Innovation Base has welcomed more than uh three hundred eighty thousand visitors and has firmly established itself as a key note. for investors uh from Japan and overseas.

Yeah, last year, uh November, the Turkey Metropolitan Government uh upgraded its startup strategy. By prioritizing scale-up and global expansion, we are accelerating initiatives that supports startups in achieving global success. And we will also promote a comprehensive approach to global innovation that brings together startups, but also large corporations and SMAs. There's clearly been uh some great developments in Tokyo's uh startup ecosystem.

But one of the challenges I think probably many startups still face is moving from local success to global expansion. So I'd like to ask you about the specific support that's being offered to startups in Tokyo to help them advance into global markets.

Okay. Uh well building on the momentum generated by startups, uh we will cultivate globally competitive industry that enrich both Tokyo and Japan. And in order to achieve this, we will concentrate support on strategic fields seeking significant uh growth. And we will provide provide generous uh generous funding to carefully selected uh promising startups. Together with long term support programs in collaboration with overseas institutions.

And this year we will invest up to 126 million US dollars to establish uh two new uh public private partnership funds. uh focused on supporting scale up primarily in strategic growth sectors. And this will serve as seed capital for the launch of uh an investment platform, Societec Global Funds. Sounds nothing, right? And and this platform uh worth several hundred million US dollars. and bringing together various public and private funds to provide bold transformative investments.

and through in-depth dialogue and close collaboration with the national government Uh, we will support numerous scale up companies ready to compete on the global uh stage, making Tokyo and Japan.

So these are clearly massive developments and the scale of the funds is also very impressive as well. I'd like to go back to something you mentioned uh earlier, so TIB, the Tokyo Innovation Base. Um this is clearly a very important part of all this. Um so I'd like to ask you, how do you envision Tokyo Innovation Base as a sort of being at the center of all this? Like how do you envision it as a hub for startups?

As noted earlier, since it's opening, TIB, Tokyo Innovation Base, has welcomed over 380,000 visitors. And it has been becoming a key innovation base, connecting entrepreneurs from Japan and the world. And TIB will continue to evolve into a place where boundary transcending innovations are born. by expanding exchanges and activities to include areas such as uh entertainment.

and and music and we will support a wider uh and more diverse range of participants, including children who will shape the future. And in addition, TIB is expanding its presence across Tokyo as a node that connects a wide range of stakeholders. uh through partnership with local governments, universities and companies. It hosts events such as pitch competitions aimed at solving social challenges within local communities.

And furthermore, uh to generate momentum for a nationwide ecosystem evolving both national and local governments Um we will collaborate with uh regional events across Japan. And through joint exhibitions overseas, we will powerfully showcase the unique technologies and services, technologies and services of each region to the world.

So um Sushi Tech Tokyo! has obviously also been a very big part of it and it's connected to Tokyo's broader startup strategy. And I've had the pleasure of reporting on Sushi Tech Tokyo for about three years now. So I'd like to ask you, what do you think Sushi Tech Tokyo's key success has been so far? And how do you think this year's edition will stand out?

Well, last year's Sushi Tech Tokyo, as you see, uh as you saw, a record fifty-seven thousand participants from one hundred countries and regions. including startups, investors, and support organizations, and over 6,136 business meetings were held. and sowing the seas for the for new innovations and building relationships that will drive startup growth. And the fourth edition will be even larger in scale and with AI as its central focus and it will highlight four key areas.

AI, Robotics, Resilience, and Entertainment, delivering a comprehensive package of sessions, exhibits, and demonstrations. And during my uh recent visit to Paris, I attended an event at the Stardust Support Hub uh Station F. in Paris and felt that strong except expectations for Tokyo for business and growth. And through SUSY Tech Tokyo, we will bring together these domestic and international players in Tokyo to spark the next wave of innovation.

And looking ahead, we aim to develop this into a truly distinctive conference that attracts ecosystems from around the world. a must attend event for all. I can't wait. Oh and and also I would like to add something at Sushi Tech Tokyo twenty twenty six will be held. from April twenty seventh to twenty ninth. It's a very important information. It's in my diary. We welcome everyone around the world to join us in Tokyo and collaborate in advancing innovation.

I can't wait to see it. Thank you. Governor Koike, thank you so much for your time today. This has been Tokyo Outpost with Governor Yuriko Koike. Thanks for watching and we'll see you at Sushi Tech Tokyo 2026.