The second Japan-Taiwan Startup Summit concluded Sept. 15 in Tokyo as part of ongoing efforts to help local firms expand their presence in the neighboring Northeast Asian nation.
Supported by the National Development Council, the two-day event involved more than 500 participants from both countries. Those in attendance included Koichi Hagiuda, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council; Mio Kawada, executive vice president of the Japan External Trade Organization; and representatives from Japan’s leading financial, trading and venture capital firms.
During his opening remarks, NDC Minister Kung Ming-hsin said exchanges between Taiwan and Japan have been on the rise in recent years and are now at a historic high, thanks in part to support from the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The two countries’ collaborations in key areas like biotechnology and medicine, high-end manufacturing and semiconductors are particularly noteworthy, Kung added.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put digitalization on the fast track, while there has been an increasing global consensus on achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050, Kung said. Against this backdrop, the minister said there will be even more opportunities for Japan and Taiwan to cooperate on information security, as well as digital and green transformation, citing the Startup Development Five-Year Plan proposed by PM Fumio Kishida and Taiwan’s Asia Silicon Valley initiative that both focus on fostering innovative entrepreneurship.
It is hoped that the two sides will achieve even greater progress this year, especially when it comes to promoting capital flows, talent exchanges and joint market development, the minister added.
Echoing Kung’s remarks, Hagiuda stressed the special bond between Japan and Taiwan. As Japan strives to strengthen the link between its startup ecosystem and the rest of the world, he expected to see more extensive exchanges in technology and talent cultivation with Taiwan. (SFC-E)
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