Event Report - The Rising Technology Stars Entering Japan - “Startup Island Taiwan” 2025

On August 21, “Taiwan Tech Week in Osaka, Innovation Center” was held in Osaka under the theme “From Innovation to Social Impact: Global Expansion Strategies for Technology Startups.” The event aimed to strengthen collaboration between the Taiwanese and Japanese startup ecosystems.

During the “International Technology Exchange from Kansai” discussion, leaders from worldwide gathered at the event to share their insights on expansion into the Japanese market. Joshua Flannery, CEO of IDJ explored some global considerations alongside other experts. In addition, the event highlighted opportunities for collaboration between Japanese corporations and international startups, exploring how the unique characteristics of the Kansai market can serve as a springboard for global expansion.

1.Why Start-ups should choose Japan-Kansai?

• Kansai represents Japan's second-largest economy with approximately 90 trillion yen GDP. Many major Japanese companies’ headquarters are located in the Kansai region (ex. Nintendo in Kyoto, Panasonic in Osaka, ASICS in Kobe, etc)

• The government is further developing startups in a global context. With the “5-years unicorn creation plan”, the Japanese government has set goals of 10 trillion yen in investment and 100,000 startups by 2027.
• The World Expo in Osaka functions like a “global demo day”, which provides a chance for Startups to meet investors, government officials and other corporations in Japan. 
• Many startups tend to choose Tokyo when entering the Japanese market. However, Tokyo is highly competitive with many players already present. In contrast, the Kansai region offers less competition and provides a plentiful environment for companies to expand. 

2. Why collaborate with Taiwanese Startups?

• Taiwan has become one of the most concentrated hubs for technology in Asia.
• Over 10,000 startups and 3.3 billion USD invested in Taiwan across 542 deals.
• The government has full-support on nurturing next-generation founders with over 10 themed government-backed funds fueling growth.
• Strong Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) interest, especially in energy, hardware, healthcare, and biotech.

3. Keywords for startups entering Japan

• “Market research” (David Bae, Board member of Big Impact. co) 
  
  • Japan is large but complex; legacy systems still dominate.
  • Understanding market dynamics and customer stickiness is crucial.

• “Prioritize”: (Joshua Flannery, CEO of Innovation DOJO Japan)
  
  • Position Japan correctly in your global strategy.
  • Decide how much patience to invest based on priority level.

• “Context”: (Brian Lim, COO of Encognize G.K.)
  
  • Go beyond language localization, which means adapting to Japan’s unique business culture and customer expectations.

IDJ supporting growth in the Japanese market: B2B collaboration and local support model

Taiwan’s B2B business model is perfectly aligned with Japan's corporate-heavy market culture. However, understanding and researching the Japanese market could be complicated and time-consuming for international organizations.

At Innovation Dojo Japan, we support overseas startups entering the Japanese market by offering a Country Manager-as-a-Service model. As a multinational company, we provide bilingual, locally based professionals with a holistic understanding of Japan’s complex business culture. We further help bridge the gap by handling local communication, building partnerships and trust with the local companies. If you are looking for expansion and opportunities in Japan, please don’t hesitate to reach out via our contact page.