Startups

A government council came up with an innovation initiative Tuesday calling for full support for creating cutting-edge startups in several designated “base cities” across Japan.

The government on Tuesday made a decision on a regulatory reform measure to allow foreign students to start their own companies.

A Japanese startup is betting that its “touchable” 3D technology will have a vast array of applications, potentially allowing smartphone shoppers to evaluate the fabric of clothes they want to buy online and gamers to feel virtual objects.

Compact and efficient, the energetic city of Fukuoka is an ideal venue to host this weekend’s two-day G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, with the vibrant metropolis slated to also welcome major events such as some 2019 Rugby World Cup matches, as well as the 2021 World Aquatics Championships.

U.S. cloud service company Salesforce.com is scaling up its operation in Japan, seeing the country as an "incubator in many ways," said Co-CEO Keith Block, who was in Tokyo for Nikkei's Global Digital Summit 2019 on Monday.

SAP, one of the world's biggest enterprise software companies, is about to launch its first startup accelerator in Asia and has picked Japan for its first foothold in the region.

The venture capital arm of Singapore's state-backed investment group Temasek Holdings, together with Japanese investors, will launch a $770 million fund that seeks to nurture tech startups into multibillion-dollar companies.

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Friday, smokers who have been fighting a lonely battle against nicotine addiction were given another option in their quest to kick the habit.

Japanese beverage group Suntory Holdings aims to make all of its plastic bottles renewable by 2030, turning to a combination of recycled and plant-based materials, Nikkei has learned.

The Philippines frequently finds itself in the path of powerful typhoons, and a Japanese startup is working on wind power equipment that can stand up to the storms.