Japan’s High-Technology : Start-up Landscape

This research paper provides the recent landscape of high-technology start-ups in Japan. First, this paper analyzes the state of high-technology start-ups based on several quantitative metrics including market capitalization of listed companies, number of unicorns and number of start-ups. Second, this paper examines the start-up ecosystem from the lenses of entrepreneurship and access to capital. The low level of entrepreneurship and limited access to capital are barriers that are deeply rooted within Japan’s own idiosyncrasies, culture, and social patterns. This paper concludes that in the last two decades, the Japanese government has implemented various policies to create a vibrant ecosystem for its high-technology start-ups, but it remains a slow takeoff.