Yuri Group

👋 Welcome to Yuri Group's LinkedIn Channel! We're dedicated to providing insights into business, investment, and key industry trends. With expertise spanning energy, digital tech, infrastructure, financials, and media, we're here to share valuable findings with you. On this channel, expect a wealth of content centered around two pivotal topics:  ✅　the green transformation  ✅　the integration of digital technologies into our ever-evolving world. Based in Japan, we're passionate about shedding light on opportunities within this market and bridging the communication gap with the global community. In today's dynamic landscape, knowledge is paramount. We're witnessing remarkable developments in society, government, and business, all interconnected and ripe with potential. While we may not have all the answers, our commitment to curiosity, tenacity, and analysis drives us to uncover insights that can benefit your work and beyond. Join us on this journey of discovery.  💡　What topics are you most eager to explore? Share your thoughts and feedback with us, and let's navigate the major transformations of our time.

🚀 Today is launch day for ispace, inc. Mission 2! The Japanese space tech startup featured in our latest GxxD report (“To Infinity, from Japan” https://lnkd.in/gYc5_S47) is sending a lunar lander and micro rover to the Moon on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center. Check out the live launch coverage on YouTube (https://lnkd.in/gPZ_N6tV)! Launch time:  06:11 UTC 1:11 a.m. (U.S. Eastern Standard Time) 3:11 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan 15 (Japan Standard Time) More about Mission 2: https://lnkd.in/ge9QgUyc *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. And for more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #spaceexploration #spaceeconomy #spaceindustry #spacetech

As public and private money streams into Japan’s space industry, a number of domestic startups are vying to lead the way into the great beyond. One of those companies is ispace, inc., which is positioning itself as an infrastructure builder for the nascent space industry. Whoever cracks the space race nut will open up a whole range of business possibilities. The projected returns for fields like asteroid mining are, well, astronomical. Japan’s major firms, from Toyota Motor Corporation to NTT, are sitting up and paying note. Like the national government, they are investing significant sums in making Japan an Asian space hub. But will those sums prove sufficient in the face of competition from regional rivals China and India, not to mention a private US space industry led by the all-conquering SpaceX? Click/tap below to read all about it in our latest GxxD report, “To Infinity, from Japan.” *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. And for more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #spaceexploration #spaceeconomy #spaceindustry #spacetech

By one metric, China is catching up with the U.S. in the AI race. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun studied data on the number of authors attributed in papers on AI that were accepted at international conferences in the field (organized by NeurIPS, [ICML] Int'l Conference on Machine Learning, and ICLR) from 2020 to 2024. Four years ago, U.S. organizations took the top seven spots, but as you can see from the table, China is pushing its way up. Meanwhile, Nikkei reports that no Japanese organizations were in the top 50, with RIKEN ranking 64th and the The University of Tokyo at 71st. Clearly, the Japanese government’s AI Strategy, adopted in 2019, will take time to yield results. One reason why there are fewer authors of papers on AI from Japan is a lack of international collaboration. Japan has no system in place to recruit top AI talent from other countries, while few Japanese AI researchers study in places at the forefront of the field such as the U.S. What do you think of these statistics? Is it a case of quantity over quality, or are they accurate indicators of who’s winning the AI race? *Nihon Keizai Shimbun article in Japanese (behind paywall): https://lnkd.in/gYne4dhx *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. And for more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #artificialintelligence #innovation

Calling all Japan watchers! Yuri Group contributor Takehiro Masutomo will present his new book on the new wave of Chinese migration to Japan at Waseda University next week. You can sign up for the event on Jan 23 at the following link: https://lnkd.in/gsGhVYYa

🖥️ How close is Japan to implementing quantum computing (which in theory could break cryptocurrency encryption)? 🌿 Why is a Japanese firm turning to AI to assess the quality of carbon credits? 🤖 And how is a company that pays homage to the Terminator movies aiding Ukraine’s recovery? All this and more in the latest report Yuri Group has prepared for the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation. It’s part of the Center’s new series, Japanese Technology & Innovation Monitoring Watch. Access it here: https://lnkd.in/gNSzznRy Producing these reports has been an exciting project for our growing business intelligence consultancy, based here in Tokyo. As we kick off a new year, we look forward to further collaborations with those seeking insights on business and investments in Japan. *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. For more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #BusinessIntelligence #Innovation #Digitalization #TechTrends #Japan

🚀 Tokyo's startup ecosystem is gaining momentum, climbing to tenth in the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Rankings - a remarkable five-spot jump from last year. The Japanese government's five-year plan to create 100 unicorns by 2027 – while overly ambitious – is nonetheless yielding results, with Tokyo emerging as a vibrant innovation hub in areas such as robotics, digital finance, healthcare, and aerospace. Key developments driving this transformation: -  The Tokyo Innovation Base (TiB), opened last May, aspires to become a central startup facility, connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers under one roof. -  Since opening in October 2020, CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) Tokyo now hosts over 250 companies, creating a dynamic community of innovators. -  Low interest rates compared to other G7 nations will help unlock cheaper loans for the next generation of startups. The ecosystem is supported by robust infrastructure builders. - for Startups, Inc.. provides comprehensive startup support, including recruitment and financial guidance. - Plug and Play Japan is part of a global innovation platform that operates one of the world's largest startup accelerator programs, connecting corporations, startups, investors, and universities. While Silicon Valley and NYC still lead the global rankings, Tokyo's steady rise reflects Japan's commitment to nurturing innovation. As we covered in our “Digital Japan 2025” report on the trends to look out for this year (https://lnkd.in/gYxXDJMz), with continued government support and growing international interest, Tokyo is positioning itself as Asia's next major startup hub. However, choppy waters lie ahead due to two closely interrelated factors: a likely BoJ interest rate hike and the yen’s current weakness. Although Japan’s interest rates will remain relatively low, the insular nature of Japan's startups mean their initial funding is likely to come from domestic companies, who are less inclined to invest in a rising-rate environment. Coupled with the weak yen that favors the country’s exporters, we can expect overseas investors to direct more of their money in Japan to these blue-chip firms. What are your thoughts on Tokyo's startup scene? Are you feeling bullish, bearish, or somewhere in between in 2025? Share in the comments! 👇 *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. And for more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #StartupEcosystem #Tokyo #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #DigitalTransformation #Japan

Happy New Year! あけましておめでとうございます！⛩️🎌🍥 As we emerge from the holiday season and the warmth of the kotatsu to take on another year, here are some of the digitalization trends Yuri Group will be keeping a tab on in Japan. 1. Big gov’t outlays for digitalization projects 2. Japan’s growing unicorn stable 3. The gov't commitment to building a startup ecosystem, despite slow progress 4. FDI in digital infrastructure 5. The Osaka Expo and other upcoming startup/tech events (For details, click/tap the image for full access to our latest publication.) What business/technology/economic trends caught your attention in 2024? What do you see in store for 2025? Let us know in the comments! *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. And for more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #startups #digitalization #unicorn #technology #Japan

[GxxD Flashback] Is the metaverse passe? Not so in Japan. yasushi funakoshi tells us about the technology’s potential and challenges in part two of our interview with the HIKKY CEO. Explore the full report, “Well Metaversed,” right here: https://lnkd.in/dZvZRfeG *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. And for more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #metaverse #xr #extendedreality #VR #virtualreality #isolation

[GxxD Flashback] yasushi funakoshi explains how his company’s metaverse platform and virtual market are helping Japan’s social recluses reconnect with society in part one of our interview with the HIKKY CEO. Explore the full report, “Well Metaversed,” right here: https://lnkd.in/dZvZRfeG *** Follow Yuri Group to keep up with Japan’s decarbonization and digitalization drives. And for more on the mega-trends, business models, and innovations that sit at the crossover between our society’s shift to digital tech and clean energy, check out our entire GxxD reports catalog (https://lnkd.in/ghESqq7w). #metaverse #xr #extendedreality #VR #virtualreality #isolation