October, November & December
4th Quarter
Japan’s tech, startup and VC funding news from across October, November and December of 2019, focusing on early stage startups.
For technology-specific news for the most recent month, visit the Other News section, covering blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech and cryptocurrency news across the 17 jurisdictions that we cover.
October 2019 • November 2019 • December 2019
October 2019
- Japan: Brokerage houses Nomura and Daiwa look to blockchain to rival Rakuten and Monex, recognising DLT’s game-changing potential around digital securities
- Japan: Fusion Bank aiming at banking system as a white label service for free-to exchanges around the world, utilising the Fusion Bank banking license
- Japan: State-backed Cool Japan Fund to invest circa $50M in Go-Jek ride-hail giant, aiming to push Japanese content to Grab’s new video streaming offering
- Japan: JCB credit card issuer to partner Singapore’s Socash fintech startup for SE Asia cardless cash advance service for Japanese travellers
- Japan’s SoftBank to partner IBM for cross-carrier blockchain solutions, aiming to allow smartphone users to make local payments when traveling overseas and roaming
- Japan establishes cybersecurity council with aim of securing the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics
- Japan: Credit Saison credit card company unveils $55M early-stage startups fund focused on SE Asia and India
- An intro to Japan’s Open Meals, developing technology for 3D-printed food made from sustainable ingredients
- A look at Japan’s moves with insect-based startups, using ‘superflies’, spiders and worms to create organic solutions to sustainability problems
- Taiwan: Appier, SoftBank-backed AI startup, acquires Japan’s Emotion Intelligence for tech that encourages online shoppers to buy now
November 2019
- Japan: Paidy raises $143M, in part from PayPal, with instant buy-now-pay-later consumer service
- Microsoft Japan tested a 4-day work week in August and productivity jumped 40%, with more efficient meetings and happier workers who took less time off
- Japan: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group leads 22-member Security Token Research Consortium to develop standards and technology around security token management
- Grab ride-hail giant to partner JapanTaxi and its 70K-strong car fleet to enter Japan’s cab-hailing market, initially in 5 cities
- Japan: Whilst government aims to double ratio of cashless settlements by 2025 to spur labour productivity, Japan’s elderly remain unconvinced
- SBI Ripple Asia and SBI Remit launch the first Japan-Vietnam money transfer service using distributed ledger tech, possibly to incorporate crypto assets in future
- Japan: Google to launch a Startups Campus in Tokyo, with 2020 launch of local Google For Startups Accelerator
- Japan: Google expands in-country HQ in Tokyo with plans for Google for Startups Campus in 2020
- Japan: US’ PreVeil software encryption startup gains $7M from Sumitomo Corp amid growing cybersecurity concerns around 2020 Olympic Games
- Japan: Amazon users in Japan can now use Paidy instant credit provider as a ‘buy now, pay later’ payment option
- ICYMI: Japan’s SmartNews news aggregation app secures $92M funding at a valuation of $1.2BN with partnership focus and machine learning platform
- More on the Blue Dot Network, led by the US, Japan and Australia, and how it differs from China’s Belt and Road Initiative
- India’s startups received $51BN funding inflow from Japan’s investors between 2014 and H1 2019, with SoftBank alone investing $10BN
- A brief intro to the 10 South Korean startups that presented at the recent ‘K-Content Startup In Japan’ event
- Singapore’s Acumen Research Labs takes win at Asian Entrepreneurship Awards 2019 in Japan with medtech focused on blood sepsis detection
- Thailand: Japan’s Infinity Ventures Summit 2019 set for Bangkok, December 2nd, a 3-day event for startups, networking, workshops and more
December 2019
- Japan takes full-participant status in NATO Cyber Coalition war games, as Tokyo and Western nations build shared defense methodologies against hacking from China
- Bank of Japan Governor reckons ‘no demand’ for Japanese state digital currency, but recognises space for the use and development of private cryptocurrency
- Japan’s J Trust financial conglomerate to use crowdfunding to raise capital for its distressed Indonesia division due to lack of stock exchange access
- Japan’s BUIDL blockchain startup acquired by Securitize, SF-based startup helping firms tokenize securities and assets
- Japan: Meet Fine, startup taking unsold and to-be-destroyed brand name apparel and on-selling under its own label
- Japan: Nayuta startup claims its Android lightning wallet is the first to build in a Bitcoin full node
- Japan: More than 80 banks join JPMorgan blockchain-based Interbank Information Network, aiming to boost anti-money laundering efforts
- Japan: Innovation Square Startup Accelerator offered by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology applications extended to December 25th
- Japan: SoftBank opens Tokyo AI institute, supporting 150 researchers and focusing on transitioning AI research from the academic to the commercial
- Japan: Axel Mark game developer’s blockchain-enabled trading card games use tokens to allow gamers to uncover skills and characters no one else has
- Japan: Toyota to implement advanced self-driving tech in commercial vehicles before those for personal use, due to different need for human monitoring
- Japan: BARK startup and entrepreneur-focused conference set for Tokyo, February 19-20
- Japan: Three main international airports to use facial recognition to speed security checks and boarding in 2020, in preparation for Summer Olympics in Tokyo
- Japan: An overview of subscription-based residential rental startups, aiming to turn Japan’s 8M empty homes into gems
- An intro to the 29 Japanese tech startups set to exhibit at the 2020 CES International event in Las Vegas
- Japan: Robots and automation have so far replaced 90% of Uniqlo workers in Tokyo warehouse; partnering Mujin for t-shirt folding may take this to 100%
- An overview of how and why Japan’s VC funds and investors have focused on India’s startup ecosystem
- Japan’s Marubeni trading house partners China’s Byton EV firm in move to secure used auto batteries for recycling as energy storage units serving homes and more
- Japan: Huobi cryptocurrency exchange’s Japan branch gains $4.6M investment from Tokai Tokyo financial services firm
- Startupbootcamp selects 11 fashion-focused startups from 1100 applications, including India’s Bigthinx and Japan’s aoiShip
- Singapore’s JustCo coworking space operator secures $74M in part-JV deal, expanding to Japan
- Japan, US and Europe partner for joint R&D in quantum computing, quantum measurement and sensors, and communication technology and cryptography
- KPMG rolls out KPMG Origins, blockchain-based track-and-trace platform for trade, in Australia, China and Japan
Startup News: Japan
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