Home-Country Public Support for Entering the Japanese Market
Many governments and public institutions help their own companies enter Japan. This directory, organized by region, helps foreign life-science and healthcare companies find their home country’s public support window — embassy commercial sections, dedicated soft-landing hubs, and acceleration programs. Most serve all sectors and are open to life-science firms; some run health-specific programs. Each entry notes the responsible public body and an official link.
About this directory
- This page lists government, public-agency, and public-university bodies only. Purely private accelerators are not listed. A program delivered by a private contractor on behalf of a public agency is included under the public body’s name.
- Beyond national bodies, some state, provincial, or regional governments (for example, U.S. states, German Länder, or Belgium’s regions) run their own Japan support or offices — check your own state or region’s window as well.
- Each entry is marked as either a permanent office or a program/mission (which recruits on a periodic cycle — check the current application window).
- Inbound programs that attract investment into the home country (rather than supporting entry into Japan) are excluded.
- Life-science relevance is noted only where it is stated on the body’s official page.
- Program names, host locations, and application windows change from year to year. Always confirm current details on each official page.
- Not sure where to start? Approach your country’s embassy in Japan first. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) maintains the official directory of all foreign embassies and consulates in Japan (https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/protocol/index.html). Many of the bodies below are the embassy’s own commercial section, and even the independent hubs can often introduce you through the embassy’s trade or economic team.
Contents
- 1. North America
- 2. Europe
- 3. Asia-Pacific
- 4. Middle East
- 5. How to Choose Your Entry Point
- 6. Related JPRO Pages
1. North America
- United States — U.S. Commercial Service Japan (permanent; within the U.S. Embassy Tokyo and Consulate General Osaka-Kobe; U.S. Department of Commerce). All sectors. https://www.trade.gov/japan
- Canada — Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) (program; Trade Commissioner Service, Embassy of Canada). Life sciences and digital health is one of CTA’s core sectors. https://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/en/our-solutions/support-programs/canadian-technology-accelerators.html
2. Europe
EU-wide
- EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation (permanent; a joint venture of the European Commission and Japan’s METI; Tokyo and Brussels). Open to companies from EU Member States and SMP Associated Countries; runs biotech / pharma / healthcare business missions to Japan. https://www.eu-japan.eu/
Western Europe
- Germany — German Accelerator, Japan programs (program; German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, BMWE). All sectors. https://www.germanaccelerator.com/our-markets/asia/japan
- Switzerland — Swissnex in Japan / Startup Camps (permanent; Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka; the Swiss SERI network, with Innosuisse). All sectors. https://swissnex.org/japan/
- Netherlands — StartNL Japan / Netherlands Innovation Network (permanent; Embassy of the Netherlands, Tokyo, with RVO). Healthcare among target sectors. https://scalenljapan.nl/
- France — Business France / La French Tech Tokyo (Business France, permanent, at the French Embassy; La French Tech Tokyo, a government-backed community, event-based). All sectors. https://lafrenchtechtokyo.org/
- United Kingdom — Expand in Japan (DBT) (program; UK Department for Business & Trade). All sectors; life sciences is a UK–Japan priority. https://www.business.gov.uk/campaign/expand-in-japan/
- Ireland — Enterprise Ireland Tokyo (permanent; Enterprise Ireland, at Ireland House, Tokyo). Japan is a strategic market for Irish life sciences. https://www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/contact-us/japan-office
- Italy — Italian Trade Agency (ICE) Tokyo (permanent; within the Italian Embassy). Has an analyst covering biomedical, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. https://www.ice.it/en/markets/japan/tokyo
- Spain — ICEX, Economic & Commercial Office Tokyo (permanent; within the Spanish Embassy). All sectors. https://www.icex.es
- Belgium — Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT) Tokyo (permanent; Government of Flanders, within the Belgian Embassy). Health-tech focus; organizes the Belgian pavilion at BioJapan. https://www.flandersinvestmentandtrade.com/en/contact/foreign-offices/japan
- Also within the Belgian Embassy: AWEX (Wallonia) and hub.brussels (Brussels-Capital), for general trade and investment.
- Austria — ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Tokyo (permanent; Commercial Section of the Austrian Embassy; Austrian Federal Economic Chamber). Lists life sciences & pharmaceuticals and medical technologies among its sectors. https://www.advantageaustria.org/jp/servicecenter/Buero-Tokio.en.html
Nordics
- Nordic Innovation House Tokyo (permanent, separate base; Nordic Council of Ministers; a five-country joint platform). Runs the annual Nordic Health Summit Japan. https://www.nordicinnovationhouse.com/tokyo
- Finland — Business Finland Japan (permanent; within the Finnish Embassy). All sectors. https://www.businessfinland.fi/en/locations/asia-india-and-oceania/japan/
- Sweden — Business Sweden Tokyo (permanent; owned by the Swedish state and industry; within the Swedish Embassy). All sectors. https://www.business-sweden.com/expand-globally/markets/asia-pacific/japan/
- Norway — Innovation Norway Japan (permanent; Norwegian government agency; Tokyo). All sectors. https://en.innovasjonnorge.no/office-international/japan
- Denmark — no dedicated innovation centre in Japan; use the Royal Danish Embassy Tokyo and Nordic Innovation House Tokyo.
3. Asia-Pacific
- South Korea — K-Startup Center (KSC) Tokyo (permanent, a separate base at CIC Tokyo; Ministry of SMEs and Startups). Focuses on GX, DX, security, and medical & bio industries. https://k-startupcenter.org/eng/
- Singapore — BLOCK71 Japan (permanent, separate bases in Tokyo and Nagoya; NUS Enterprise, part of a public university). Healthcare is among the Tokyo hub’s deep-tech themes. https://block71.co/japan-en/
- Taiwan — Startup Island TAIWAN Tokyo Hub (permanent, a separate base in Tokyo; National Development Council). Its inaugural seminar focused on healthcare. https://tokyo.startupisland.tw/
- India — Japan-India Startup Hub (program; JETRO and Invest India; largely India-based). Pharma and medical equipment are among corridor sectors. https://www.startupindia.gov.in/japan
- Australia — Austrade (Australian Trade and Investment Commission) (permanent; Commercial Section of the Australian Embassy Tokyo and Consulate-General Osaka). All sectors. https://www.austrade.gov.au/en/contact-us/international-offices/japan
- New Zealand — NZTE Tokyo (permanent; New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, within the New Zealand Embassy). All sectors. https://www.nzte.govt.nz/
4. Middle East
- Israel — Israel Economic & Trade Mission to Japan (permanent; Israel Ministry of Economy; within the Israeli Embassy, Tokyo and Osaka). Healthcare is among its sectors. https://itrade.gov.il/japan/
5. How to Choose Your Entry Point
- Start with a home-country body that has a health or life-science track record (noted in the entries above).
- If none exists, a permanent embassy-hosted office can help with all-sector market entry.
- If you need a temporary base to work from in Japan, check whether your country runs a physical hub. These are usually open only to companies from a specific country — for example, Nordic Innovation House Tokyo (the five Nordic countries), BLOCK71 Japan (Singapore), or K-Startup Center Tokyo (South Korea).
- For a program or mission, confirm the current application window before planning.
- If your country has no dedicated public window in Japan (for example, much of Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa): use your embassy’s commercial section, JETRO’s support for foreign companies, and — for EU Member States — the EU-Japan Centre.
6. Related JPRO Pages
See also these related JPRO pages on partnering and public support for entering Japan.