JETRO Fosters Innovation Partnerships Between Japanese And ASEAN Enterprises
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) have implemented the Japan-ASEAN Co-creation Fast Track Pitch initiative to foster innovation between Japanese and ASEAN enterprises.
The initiative was launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the Japan-ASEAN friendship and cooperation in 2023 and aims to foster open innovation and co-creation through collaboration between Japanese and ASEAN enterprises.
In a statement today, JETRO said it represents a new approach to drive innovation in the region in cooperation with ASEAN governments.
The Malaysia-Japan Fast Track Pitch 2025 marks the inaugural Malaysian edition of the initiative.
The main pitch event will be held in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 5, 2026, with Malaysia’s Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority as co-hosts.
Six Japanese and Malaysian companies will serve as challenge owners, having published their challenge statements on the JETRO website.
These statements outline the technologies or approaches required to address specific societal challenges.
Proposals were received from 111 startups, primarily from Japan and Malaysia, and 14 have been selected to present their proposals at the event.
A key feature of the event is the broad range of challenge statements set by the large corporations, spanning healthcare, climate change responses, smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI) utilisation, healthcare/education, and digital transformation in the construction industry.
Participating challenge owner Mitsubishi Corporation has undertaken projects in the Johor-Singapore Economic Zone (JS-SEZ). These projects have attracted Japanese companies’ attention.
The others include Malaysian telecommunications group ADA and its use of AI, and construction conglomerate YTL.
Five Japanese startups and five Malaysian startups will strive to collaborate with the challenge owners, the statement said.
--- BERNAMA
