SINGAPORE, November 19, 2025 – At the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025 last week, amid the crowd of startup founders, investors and policymakers, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) made a quiet but confident case for the city’s future. It was a message delivered clearly by Ms. Izumi Aki, Director for Global Financial City Promotion, who has been at the forefront of Tokyo’s international outreach: Tokyo is back on the global map — and it wants the world’s most ambitious startups and tech companies to see it as their next home.
Speaking to AsiaBizToday, Ms. Aki described Tokyo’s transformation with a clarity that reflects both urgency and optimism. “Tokyo has always been a global financial centre,” she said. “But today, we are evolving into something more. We want to be a city where innovators feel supported from the moment they consider entering Japan to the day they scale globally.”
Her confidence comes from real structural reforms — many of them long requested by foreign founders — and a growing ecosystem designed to welcome global companies, not overwhelm them.
Removing Hurdles
One of the biggest hurdles for foreign firms entering Japan has always been administrative complexity. Ms. Aki acknowledged this frankly: “We knew we had to make it easier. Tokyo cannot say we want innovation and then make it difficult for companies to even register.”
This recognition has shaped a series of reforms that genuinely lower the barriers to entry:
- Incorporation documents can now be submitted in English — a major shift for a country that traditionally required all filings in Japanese.
- Newly established asset management firms can outsource compliance, allowing them to begin operations without hiring bilingual experts immediately.
- FinTechs can now seek guidance from regulators in English, reducing ambiguity and speeding licensing.
Ms. Aki summed it up simply: “We removed the friction that used to slow companies down.”
System Designed Around Startups
Tokyo’s support architecture is surprisingly extensive — and, as Ms. Aki repeatedly emphasised, intentionally founder-friendly.
“We have built a full-lifecycle support system,” she explained. “This means whether you are just exploring Japan or already setting up an office in Tokyo, you have a partner in TMG.”
Through the Business Development Center Tokyo (BDCT), companies receive free English-language consulting on everything from office search and recruitment to licensing and living arrangements for expatriates. Meanwhile, the Tokyo One-Stop Business Establishment Center takes care of incorporation and visas, reducing setup time dramatically.
“The difference now,” Ms. Aki stressed, “is that you don’t have to navigate Tokyo alone. We guide you through each step.” “Our message is simple: if you want to innovate in Asia, Tokyo is the platform you can trust.”
While the push extends across finance and technology, Tokyo is also fast becoming a hub for sustainability, climate-tech and green finance.
Ms. Aki made a point of connecting Tokyo’s startup ambition to its climate commitments: “A truly global financial city must lead not only in technology but also in sustainability. This is very important for us.”
Tokyo’s commitments include:
- A 2050 net-zero target
- Aggressive 2030 emissions reduction goals
- A growing volume of green and resilience bonds
- The launch of Japan’s first Carbon Credit Market
- A public-private Circular Economy & Natural Capital Fund
“These are not symbolic initiatives,” Ms. Aki explained. “They are signals to the world that Tokyo is serious about building a sustainable economy.”
Catalysing FinTech, Digital Assets and Tokenisation
Tokyo is also emerging as a major testbed for digital-finance innovation. The city offers financial backing for digital-security issuances, supports PoC trials between financial institutions and startups, and encourages cross-border collaborations in Web3 and tokenisation.
“Technology evolves so quickly that governments must be flexible,” she said. “In Tokyo, we are not only following innovation — we are enabling it.”
A Globally Connected City, Rooted in Collaboration
Across the interview, Ms. Aki highlighted Tokyo’s growing global connections — from partnerships with the City of London to innovation corridors with India, Europe, and Southeast Asia. She also emphasised how SusHi Tech Tokyo, the city’s flagship annual technology showcase, has rapidly become a global meeting ground.
“Last year we hosted more than 57,000 participants,” she noted with pride. “The world is coming to Tokyo — and we want more innovators to be part of that journey.”
TMG’s “Access to Tokyo” offices in major global hubs, including Singapore, London, Paris, San Francisco and Bengaluru, play a major role in this outreach. “These centres help us understand what international startups need,” she said. “It ensures our support is relevant, not theoretical.”
“Tokyo is ready. And we want the world’s innovators to be part of our story.”
The final part of our conversation returned to a theme Ms. Aki repeated throughout our discussion: readiness.
“Tokyo is ready for the next wave of global finance and technology,” she said with conviction. “We have spent the last few years transforming how we support companies. Now, we want founders to know that Tokyo is a place where you can build, scale, and thrive.”
Her message to startups and tech companies was direct and inviting: “If you want a stable, globally connected, innovation-positive base in Asia — Tokyo is ready for you.”
By Vishwesh Iyer