The event aimed to widely disseminate Japan Association of New Economy’s (JANE) policy message for revitalizing the Japanese economy and to further strengthen the communities that share JANE’s vision.

Approximately 500 people attended the event, which consisted of a policy roundtable session, the Japan Transformation (JX) Awards Ceremony and networking party, and a special dinner.

JX Live! started with a movie clip featuring JX’s key policy message, “Let’s bring people, knowledge, and money from around the world to Japan”, following a summary by two speakers.

After the movie clip, Mr. Mickey Mikitani, Representative Director of JANE gave a keynote speech and presentation.

Speakers:
Mr. Koichiro Yoshida, Director of JANE / CEO of CrowdWorks, Inc.
Ms. Ayumi Fujimoto, President of Startup Ecosystem Association

[Roundtables]

The theme of Roundtable 1 was: “Grand Design Strategy to Enhance Japan’s Power”.

Guests discussed how to secure Japan’s success in global digital economy and put forward proposals for a grand design strategy for Japan.

Many speakers pointed out the importance of establishing a “virtuous cycle of taxation and growth” in which tax rates are lowered to stimulate the Japanese economy, which increases tax revenue for reinvestment domestically.
They also indicated the need to consider measures to better reflect the opinions of all levels of the population in the decision-making process of political leadership, to allow motivated workers to work without time constraints, and to attract investment by accepting human resources and technology from all over the world.

The session also highlighted the need to implement various regulatory reforms based on strong leadership that is not constrained by vested interests.

Speakers:
Mr. Mickey Mikitani, Representative Director of JANE / Chairman & CEO of Rakuten Group, Inc.
Prof. Nana Otsuki, Professor at Graduate School of Management, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business (NUCB) Business School / Senior Fellow of Pictet Asset Management (Japan) Ltd.
H.E. Mr. Teimuraz Lezhava, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Japan
H.E. Ms. Julia Longbottom CMG, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Moderator:
Mr. Yosuke Tsuji, Executive Officer of JANE / Representative Director, Founder & CEO, Money Forward, Inc.

The theme of Roundtable 2 was “Strategy for Becoming an AI Powerhouse”.

The session included a multi-stakeholder discussion from public and private sector perspectives on policies and regulations that would help Japan become a strong AI nation.

Specifically, speakers suggested that Japan should promote the development and utilization of generative AI and be flexible in its regulations. They also pointed out that the utilization and safety of data is key, and that data sharing and transparency among companies are required.

In addition, the session highlighted the importance of fostering and supporting AI startups and the need for collaboration between the Japanese government and the private sector.

It was also noted that  JANE launched an AI community in November 2023, in which member companies participate. The community introduces use cases of AI development and utilization and facilitates workshops with government officials on relevant guidelines and regulations.

Speakers:
Mr. Yuki Naito, Executive officer of JANE / President & CEO of Drecom Co., Ltd.
Mr. Tatsu Hayashi, CEO of Stockmark inc.
Ms. Akiko Murakami, Executive Director of Japan AI Safety Institute (J-AISI) / Executive Officer and Chief Data Officer of Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.
Mr. Takuo Komori, Member of the House of Representatives

 Moderator:
Ms. Fumiko Kudo, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University

The theme of Roundtable 3 was  “Realizing Entrepreneurship Education”.

Speakers discussed the future role of schools and the responsibilities of the government and private sector.

JANE launched a special working group (WG) on the next generation in 2023. Our policy proposal, released in April 2024, aims to integrate entrepreneurship education within the framework of next-generation learning. 

 This session introduced a collaboration program between schools and the private sector and a promotional initiative for digital education. To introduce entrepreneurship education into schools on a large scale, speakers emphasized that the government and private sector must work together to include it in the next set of curriculum guidelines. 

Speakers:
Mr. Koji Funatsu, Executive Officer of JANE / Director, Corporate Advisor, Transcosmos Inc.
Ms. Mayumi Hosoda, a former Superintendent of Education, Saitama City Office Board of Education/ Visiting professor at Hyogo University of Teacher Education
Mr. Yasutomo Sanui, Chief Education of AI Officer (CEAIO) of Life is Tech, Inc.

 Moderator:
Ms. Sayaka Tanaka, CEO of NPO Waffle

The theme of Roundtable 4 was   “Decarbonization Growth Strategy for Japan”.

 During the final session, speakers discussed Japan’s decarbonization growth strategy with Green Transformation (GX) startup companies to foster the development of GX unicorns in Japan.

To address the global threat of climate change, JANE established the Carbon Neutral Working Group (WG) in 2022. In April 2023, the WG announced its policy proposal, the “JANE Carbon Neutral Vision”. In this session, there was a lively debate among WG member companies, guests from government agencies, and experts about the measures required to promote GX startup activities in Japan and the necessity to enhance GX literacy across society. The straight-forward discussion concluded “JX Live! 2024”. 

Speakers:
Mr. Hirokazu Aoi, CEO of booost technologies,Inc.
Mr. Iwao Yoshino, Chairman & CEO of Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd.
Mr. Shinichiro Ibuki, Deputy Director at Startups Support department, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
Ms. Ikumi Narui, Representative Director & CEO of INTER HOLDINGS Inc.

Moderator:
Ms. Sumiko Takeuchi, Senior Fellow, Member, Board of Directors, International Environment and Economy Institute / Appointed Professor, Tohoku University / Co-founder and President, U3 Innovations, LLC.

Based on the discussions held during the roundtables, JANE disclosedn “JX Declaratio 2024”, which outlines 4 key themes: “Grand Design Strategy to Enhance Japan’s Power”, “Strategy for Becoming AI Powerhouse”, “Realizing Entrepreneurship Education”, and “Decarbonization Growth Strategy for Japan”.

 [JX Awards Ceremony]

At the JX Awards Ceremony, held for the third consecutive year, the five members of the selection committee, who are active in the business community, voted to select one Grand Prize winner and three Selection Committee Member’s Special Awards winners.

The awards were presented to young entrepreneurs leading Japan, including Mr. Hiroki Koga, CEO of Oishii Farm Corporation, who is making an impact in the U.S., executives at Japanese leading companies with a global outlook, and an entrepreneur who successfully took their company public in 2024.

【JX Challenge】

Following the roundtable sessions at the party venue, the “JX Challenge” event was held.

This is an updated version of an event that proved highly successful last year. It provides our member companies with an opportunity to promote their businesses.

10 challengers selected among applicants were given 90 seconds to promote their companies and businesses in any manner they wished. 

Following a vote by the judging team led by JANE’s Director and Executive Officers and the participants in the venue, Mr. Tomoki Akutsu, President and CEO of TOUCH TO GO Co., Ltd., was selected as champion, and invited to the special dinner program.

At the JX Challenge event, attendees were excited to see a variety of presentations from each company, including one company who attended with its mascot character.

The networking party that followed the main proceedings proved highly successful, with participants making the most of the opportunity to forge new business contacts.

Challengers:
Mr. Tomoki Akutsu, President & CEO of TOUCH TO GO Co., Ltd. / Senior Manager of JR East Start-Up Co., Ltd.
Ms. Asami Iida, Executive Officer of Trenders Inc. / Representative of ampule Div. / Representative of Paranavi / Editor-in-chief of ampule magazine
Mr. Taihei Onishi, CEO and CPO of STMN.INC.
Mr. Shozo Kamiya, Founder and CEO of I’mbesideyou Inc.
Ms. Anna Kreshchenko, Founder and CEO of Flora Co., Ltd
Mr. Tetsuya Daimaru, CRO (Chief Relationship Officer) and Co-Founder of Relic Inc.
Mr. Masahiro Takase, Founder and CEO of FRACTAL WORKOUT Inc.
Mr. Yukihiro Tomoda, Founder and CEO of Amber Asset Management Corp.
Ms. Ayako Fukada, Executive Director of Fukada Electric Co., Ltd.
Mr. Kazuki Maeda, CEO and CTO of Rakumon Inc. 

Judging team members:
Mr. Noboru Hachimine, Director of JANE / Founder & Chairman, DIGITAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Mr. Sorato Ijichi, Executive Officer of JANE / Founder & CEO, Creww Inc.
Mr. Tetsuya Ebata, Executive Officer of JANE / Representative Director & President, Group CEO, All About, Inc.
Mr. Tetsuya Sanada, Executive Officer of JANE / Director and Chairman, KLab Inc.
Ms. Rikako Onishi, Founder & CEO of KOTORA Co.,Ltd.
Ms. Ayumi Fujimoto, President of Startup Ecosystem Association Japan

【Special Dinner】

The special dinner program was offered at the Tokyo Studio on the 51^st floor of Andaz Tokyo to promote networking among sponsors, session speakers, “JX Awards” Awardees, “JX Challenge” winners, and JANE’s Board of Directors.

During the dinner, a special talk session was held on the theme of “Think about ‘Beyond Cool Japan’ – A challenger to the world with animation and craftmanship”, featuring distinguished guests including Mr. Shinji Shimizu, Executive Managing Director of TOEI ANIMATION Co., Ltd., and Mr. Hiroshi Onishi, President of Haneda Future Research Institute Incorporated (Former President & Chief Executive, Isetan). The session was moderated by Mr. Susumu Fujita, Vice Representative Director of JANE.

The dinner was a great success with lots of excitement.

The four policy roundtable sessions, the third annual “JX Awards” ceremony, the networking party, the “JX Challenge,” and the special dinner all exceeded expectations, making the event a great success.

 We would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors, speakers, and all of the participants.

It is clear that message of “JX (Japan Transformation)”, which we launched on our 10^th anniversary in 2022, is gaining momentum through “JX Live!”.

JANE will continue to hold events such as JX Live! that deliver meaningful experiences and satisfaction to all attendees.

Please look forward to our exciting next challenge.