OVERVIEW
- Tour Dates
- Monday, January 26–Tuesday, January 27, 2026
- Place
- Chubu Region
- Participants
- 6 participants
- Topics
- Pioneers Aiming for the Global Stage from Central Japan
In June 2025, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Hamamatsu, Gifu Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, and Shizuoka Prefecture, which form the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium, were chosen for the second round of the Cabinet Office’s Global Hub Cities startup ecosystem. A press tour was held to cover innovation creation in the Chubu region and spread the news internationally about Central Japan being a global hub leading innovation in Japan and worldwide, the second such press tour this fiscal year.
A total of six journalists participated in this press tour, from media outlets based out of China, France, Germany, India, and Japan.
*This tour was sponsored by JETRO Nagoya, and planned and operated by the FPCJ.
*For more details on the tour, see the tour notice here.
Day 1
＜FiberCraze Corporation＞
The journalists visited FiberCraze’s office, located in Gifu University, and heard from President and Representative Director Shunya Chosokabe about the company’s unique textile technology, how the company was started, and manufacturing while collaborating with local companies. The journalists asked questions about the benefits of being based out of Gifu, the company’s target market, and incorporating the company’s technology into existing production lines.
＜X-iS Co., Ltd.＞
Next, the tour visited the city of Tajimi, Gifu, the largest producer of tiles in Japan, and heard from X-is CEO Kensuke Kasai about the characteristics of the soil in the Mino region and issues with declining availability of materials, as well as explaining the company’s initiative to create a resource cycle with recycled tiles. Afterwards, the journalists saw the company’s gallery and lab, viewing tiles with a wide variety of textures and colors. They asked questions about the merits of using tile, how the different colors were made, and exports overseas.
＜Ibis Inc.＞
The tour then heard from Ibis President and CEO Eiji Kamiya about ibisPaint, a drawing app which has been downloaded over 500 million times worldwide. The journalists asked about why it became popular overseas, future business strategies, and the benefits of being based out of Nagoya, as well as having opportunities to try the app themselves and to film a demonstration of the app being used.
Day 2
＜Networking Event with Five Startups＞
On the second day, the journalists met with members of five startups passionate about expanding overseas, selected by JETRO Nagoya. Each of the five startups, iBody Inc.(healthcare), Three-labs Inc. (manufacturing), TOWING Co., Ltd.(agritech), DouDouDoujin, Co., Ltd.(content), and AZAPA Co., Ltd.(mobility), gave a three minute presentation, after which a lively Q&A session was held.
＜TechGALA 2026＞
Next, the tour covered TechGALA Japan 2026, a startup event held in Central Japan (Nagoya, Aichi) over three days, from January 27 to 29. After watching the event’s opening, the journalists participated in a press conference by Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura and TechGALA General Producer Hiromi Okuda. Afterwards, the journalists looked at the booths of companies exhibiting at the event.
＜FUKURA.FUKURA Co.＞
For the final stop on the tour, the journalists FUKURA.FUKURA CEO Rei Marushima about functional wagashi (Japanese confections) which are both healthy and delicious. The journalists asked about the unique characteristics of the company’s products and opinions on the flavor from other countries, as well as sampling some themselves.
◆Below are some of the reports based on this tour.
Asian News International (India)
“Central Japan Aichi Pref.'s startups on way of expansion”(January 29, 2026)
Asialyst (France)
“Le Japon entend combler son retard dans l’univers mondial des startups”(February 3, 2026)
