35°41′02″N139°46′01″E / 35.684002°N 139.766908°E /35.684002; 139.766908
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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Diversified industries,[1]mainly Environment and energy Life sciences Electronics Machinery and components Advanced material |
| Founded | July 27, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-07-27)[1] |
| Headquarters | Marunouchi Kitaguchi Bldg., 1-6-5, Marunouchi, ,Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo |
Key people | Kimikazu Noumi[2] (CEO) Haruyasu Asakura[3] (COO) |
| Parent | Japan Investment Corporation |
| Website | www.incj.co.jp |
TheInnovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) (株式会社産業革新機構,Kabushiki-gaisha Sangyō Kakushin Kikō), headquartered inTokyo,[4][5] is apublic-private partnership between theJapanese government and 19 major corporations.
Established as a temporary (15 years) corporate entity[6] on July 27, 2009, the organization's prime objective is "boosting the competitiveness of Japanese firms by promoting a philosophy of 'open innovation' and creating next-generation businesses in promising new technologies by providing capital and managerial support, through private-public partnership."[1]
The business and investments of INCJ are supervised by theMinistry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI).
In early 2009, the Japanese government along with major Japanese corporations conceptualized thelegal framework of a corporate entity - whose aim isto leverage Japanese technological and industrial prowess to create sustainable next-generation businesses using a philosophy of "Open Innovation" and enhance the value of Japanese businesses.[6]
On July 27, 2009, the Japanese government under theAct on Special Measures for Industrial Revitalization andOther Laws to Foster Innovation in Industrial Activities in Japan, established the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ).[1] The INCJ was created to make investments aimed at creating an ecosystem of innovation and fostering an “open innovation” model, i.e. “flow of technology and expertise beyond the boundaries of existing organisational structures" — be itstart-up companies,medium-sized enterprises orlarge, established firms.
In September 2018, the INCJ was reorganized withJapan Investment Corporation (JIC) being spun-off as a new separate entity following the enforcement of the amendment to the Act on Strengthening Industrial Competitiveness. INCJ then became a subsidiary of JIC.[7]
The primary objective is to provide capital and managerial support to boost the competitiveness of Japanese firms and create next-generation businesses in promising new technologies, which contribute to innovative transformation of Japan’s industrial structure.
The INCJ is headquartered at Tokyo and has a flat management structure centered around CEO and COO
Its current CEO is Kimikazu Noumi[2] and COO, Haruyasu Asakura.[3]
| Company | Country | Sector | Investment | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALPS Green Devices | Japan | Electronics | JPY 10 billion | A subsidiary ofAlps Electric Corporation manufacturing energy-savingelectronic devices used insmart grid devices,electric vehicles,home appliances, andinformation appliances. | [8] |
| GENUSION | Japan | Semiconductor | JPY 2.6 billion | A developer ofsemiconductor memory devices | [9] |
| TRILITY | Australia | Water | AUD 225 million | Formerly United Utilities Australia (UUA), an Australianwater utility, acquired by ICNJ,Mitsubishi Corporation,JGC Corporation, andManila Water fromUnited Utilities. | [10][11] |
| Zephyr Corporation [ja] | Japan | Wind power | JPY 1 billion | A manufacturer ofsmall wind turbines and other energy systems | [12] |
| LSIP | Japan | Life science | JPY 1 billion | Life Science Intellectual Property, Japan's firstintellectual propertyinvestment fund | [13][14] |
| ENAX | Japan | Battery | JPY 3.5 billion | A manufacturer of laminated sheetlithium-ion batteries | [15] |
| JINED | Japan | Nuclear power | JPY 20 million | An industry consortium for proposal and research activities fornuclear power plant project orders inemerging countries | [16] |
| Aguas Nuevas | Chile | Water | JPY 20 billion | A Chilean water utility acquired byMarubeni from theSantander Group | [17] |
| Anaeropharma Science | Japan | Pharmaceutical | JPY 2.9 billion | A university venture developinganticancer agents | [18] |
| Nihon Inter Electronics Corporation | Japan | Semiconductor | JPY 3.5 billion | A manufacturer ofpower semiconductor devices | [19] |
| Nakamura Choukou | Japan | Machining | JPY 1.2 billion | A manufacturer of special ultra-precision equipment | [20] |
| JEOL RESONANCE | Japan | Instruments | JPY 1.5 billion | A spin-off ofJEOL manufacturingnuclear magnetic resonance instruments | [21] |
| Peach Aviation | Japan | Airline | JPY 10 million | Japan's firstlow-cost carrier established byAll Nippon Airways and First Eastern Investment Group, a Hong Kong investment firm | [22] |
| 衆智達汽車部件(常州)有限公司 | China | Automotive | JPY 1.5 billion | An automotive parts maker founded inChangzhou, China, by small Japanese automotive parts makers | [23] |
| Miselu | United States | Music | USD 6 million | The San Francisco-based company develops music interfaces (hardware and software) for the Apple iPad. It is run by Yoshinari Yoshikawa (CEO) and Jory Bell (CTO). | [citation needed] |
| Landis+Gyr | Switzerland | Metering | USD 680 million | A Swisssmart meter technology company acquired byToshiba | [24][25] |
| Japan Display | Japan | Display | JPY 200 billion | A manufacturer ofliquid crystal display panels established by the integration of the small and medium size LCD businesses ofSony Mobile Display,Toshiba Mobile Display, andHitachi Displays [ja] | [26] |
| UniCarriers Corporation | Japan | Machinery | JPY 30 billion | Aholding company of TCM Corporation and Nissan Forklift, which are theforklift businesses ofHitachi Construction Machinery andNissan, respectively | [27][28] |
| Pharma8 | Japan | Pharmaceutical | JPY 550 million | A start-up developing drugs to cureAlzheimer's disease | [29] |
| All Nippon Entertainment Works [ja] | United States | Entertainment | JPY 6 billion | AHollywood industry consortium to remake the copyrighted works of Japanese entertainment, such as movies, television shows, games, books, toys, and character-licensed merchandise | [30][31] |
| Seajacks International | United Kingdom | Wind power | JPY 35 billion | A Britishoffshore wind farm constructor acquired byMarubeni fromRiverstone Holdings | [32][33] |
| (unnamed) | Japan | Video | JPY 60 million | Aspecial purpose company for the incubation of voice search technology forvideo streaming websites, developed by theNational Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) | [34][35] |
| Digital Publishing Initiatives Japan [ja] | Japan | Publishing | JPY 15 billion | A company assisting publishers to publish and distributee-books | [36] |
| Sphelar Power | Japan | Solar power | JPY 500 million | A manufacturer of transparent, sphericalsolar cells founded byHitachi High-Technologies [ja] and Kyosemi, a manufacturer of semiconductor devices | [37][38][39] |
| Renesas Electronics | Japan | Semiconductors | JPY 138 billion | Research, development, design, manufacturing, sales and service related to various semiconductor products | [40] |
The INCJ is capitalized at 112 billion yen. The Japanese government also provides guarantees up to a total of 1,800 billion yen for INCJ investments. This funding is used partly as a combination ofventure capital and “buyout fund” to providerisk arbitrage to support a growth strategy of small and mid-size companies and to facilitate consolidation among established companies for the purpose of helping them become global leaders, as well as directly invest in new ventures.
The breakup of investors and their investments made are the following,
The Japanese government provides 102 billion yen[5] out of the total capital of 112 billion yen. The government also provides guarantees up to a total of 1,800 billion yen for INCJ investments, giving it an investment capability of approximately 1,900 billion yen (US$24 billion).
The following 19 major Japanese companies have made a total investment of 10 billion JPY.[5] Each investor has contributed 500 million yen, with the exception of DBJ, which has contributed 1 billion yen.
