Tokyo

Tokyo is the world’s most populous metropolitan area, and Japan’s absolute commercial capital. Tokyo is home to a majority of Japanese conglomerates and financial institutions, and 75 % of the foreign companies. 

Tokyo is also the undisputed center of the Japanese innovation ecosystem. The city has the highest number of startups, and attracts the greatest amount of funding. In 2018, 77 % of all Japanese VC investments went to Tokyo-based enterprises. 

Looking for funding opportunities is one of the main reasons for Danish startups to look to Japan. Generally speaking, the Japanese innovation ecosystem is weak, and therefore local VCs are increasingly looking abroad for investment opportunities.

For more information, check out and download our ecosystem reports below.

Reasons to go

• Investors and VC funds are specifically looking to the Nordics for investment opportunities
• Denmark and the Nordics have a strong brand in Japan
• An aging population is generating demand for Healthtech and Life Science solutions where the Nordics have a strong value proposition
• A new EU-Japan trade agreement – covering a third of global GDP – is expected to increase trade by 30-50 %
• Consumer demanding products of high quality and good design

Key sectors

• Healthtech, AI, Fintech

City clusters

• Shibuya, Otemachi, Roppongi