The 5th Japan-Taiwan Innovation Summit took place earlier this week in two Japanese cities. National Development Council (NDC) Minister Yeh Chun-hsien (葉俊顯) said at the event that Taiwanese startups now have stronger international visibility and growth momentum. He also expressed hope that a trilateral innovation ecosystem between Taiwan, Japan, and the United States could provide a model for cross-border startup collaboration and integration into global markets.

The summit took place on Monday, August 17, in Osaka and Tuesday and Wednesday, August 18 and 19, in Tokyo. It was hosted by the NDC, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The theme of the 5th edition was “From Startups to Strategy: Taiwan-Japan Deep Tech Partnership for Economic Development and Security.” The event has been expanded this year beyond Taiwan and Japan to include the United States.

Yeh said in his remarks that Taiwan’s competitiveness and innovation have risen sharply in recent years to rank among the world’s leaders. Taiwan took 4th place in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking and made it to the top 20 in StartupBlink's Global Startup Ecosystem Index for the first time. Yeh said this shows that Taiwanese startups now have stronger international visibility and growth momentum.

Tomohiro Takashima, an executive at JETRO, said that the Kumamoto semiconductor supply chain centered around TSMC has become an important symbol of complementary industrial strengths between Taiwan and Japan. He added that cooperation among partners such as Taiwan, Japan, and the United States could grow stronger in the future.