Startups

    23 October 2026
    Grab delivery riders parked in front of a noodle restaurant in Bangkok on May 13. Grab is one of Southeast Asia's best known homegrown startups but its valuation has fallen in recent years. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
    Liza Noonan, chief executive of Sydney-based Cicada Innovations, says Australia's natural resources, vast landscape, proximity to Asia and sophisticated clinical trial environment are conditions that make the country an "attractive proposition" for deep tech to thrive. (Photo by Sophie Mak)
    Technology

    Australia has deep-tech innovation 'in spades,' says startup incubator CEO

    Cicada chief says country can solve its own problems if scaling achieved

    20 October 2026
    Many Southeast Asian startups are struggling to attract capital and grow beyond regional markets. People in the ecosystem cite a failure to attract foreigners, opaque legal systems, a shortage of capital and an inability to appeal to global audiences as reasons for this. (Nikkei Asia illustration)
    ASEAN Money

    Southeast Asian startups run into structural roadblocks

    Lack of openness to foreign entrepreneurs, opaque bureaucracy, shortage of capital among issues cited

    20 October 2026
    DeepSeek has given partial refunds to subscribers for services affected by the outage, but it has not identified a cause.
    Artificial intelligence

    China's DeepSeek hit by 5-hour AI service outage

    Issues may stem from shortage of computing power amid US chip export restrictions

    17 October 2026
    With its mature capital market and a government pursuing green policies, Singapore is attracting and developing more climate tech startups than anywhere else in the region. (Illustration by Hiroko Aida)
    ASEAN Money

    Singapore's climate tech startups ride government's green energy ambitions

    From sustainable aviation fuel to energy storage, startups leverage the city-state's funding network

    13 October 2026
    Shoko Chukin Bank is working to expand its range of business and support for small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan after being privatized. (Photo by Nanami Sato)
    Finance

    Japan bank to connect small businesses with US AI developers

    Recently privatized lender Shoko Chukin looks to shore up finances with share sale

    8 October 2026
    Shinichi Arie, Honda's deputy head of the SDV Research and Development Center (right), Applied Intuition CEO Qasar Younis (center) and Honda executive Mahito Shikama. (Applied Intuition)
    Automobiles

    Honda, Nissan each team with US AI startup on next-gen vehicle software

    Applied Intuition to provide operating system, development tools

    6 October 2026
    Food delivery platforms like Grab, Shopee and VinFast-linked Green SM are likely to be subject to new requirements as Vietnam prepares to amend its food safety law. 
    Food & Beverage

    Vietnam to revise food safety law, reining in delivery apps like Shopee, Grab

    Scandals common in country where price competition prompts some sellers to cut corners

    25 September 2026
    Japanese chip startup EdgeCortix participated in the AI Infra Summit in Santa Clara, California from Sept. 15-17. (Photo by Yifan Yu) 
    Semiconductors

    Japan's EdgeCortix looks to work with SpaceX on space data center chips

    Edge AI startup unveils new product, signs multimillion-dollar deal with Kawasaki

    24 September 2026
    Alex Ksendzovsky, co-founder and CEO of The Biological Computing Co. (TBC), left, poses with Jon Pomeraniec, TBC’s other co-founder and chief operating officer, TBC, a San Francisco-based startup, uses living neurons to improve AI models. (Photo by Yifan Yu) 
    Artificial intelligence

    Amazon taps TBC to make AI models faster, cheaper with human neurons

    Startup's new artificial intelligence model to boost video generation speed fivefold

    22 September 2026
    Prodrone aims to invest nearly $20 million in building a mass production facility for unmanned aerial vehicles. (Prodrone)
    Aerospace & Defense Industries

    Japan's Prodrone gears up to mass produce 58,000 drones a year

    Startup to construct $20m plant near auto parts makers with subsidy

    19 September 2026
    Towing's Soratan biochar contains microbes to feed more nutrients to plants. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
    Startups

    Nagoya University-linked startup regenerates Thai soil with microbes

    Japan's Towing targets land depleted by sugar cane farming

    16 September 2026
    The Philippine government has been taking steps to lower barriers to entry, including simplifying investment approvals. (Looop)
    Energy

    Japan's JFE Engineering, startups bet on Philippine renewable energy

    Work with local companies spans solar, storage batteries, electricity retail

    16 September 2026
    Autonomous driving startup Turing is one of the biggest winners of the startup funding race in Japan. (Turing)
    Startups

    Sakana AI, Turing among Japan startup winners as investors turn choosy

    Big Japan startup fundraising deals hit record in January-June half

    15 September 2026
    Stream article image
    Startups

    Kioxia-linked cloud startup to make it easier to crunch encrypted data

    Tokyo-based EmotionX sees potential uses in defense, finance

    15 September 2026
    Mitsui plans to draw patient data from its portfolio hospital networks in Asia, including Malaysia's IHH Healthcare. (Mitsui & Co.)
    Pharmaceuticals

    Mitsui to help speed cancer drug research in Asia with patient database

    Japan trading house to combine anonymized data on 1m patients for clinical trials

    10 September 2026
    To support technician training, Daikin Industries plans to introduce a wearable device equipped with agentic AI being developed with startup Fairy Devices. (Daikin Industries)
    Companies

    Japan's Daikin to use AI in A/C inspection training as cooling demand rises

    Initiative addresses shortage of experienced engineers, targeting 2027 rollout

    10 September 2026
    NTT aims to commercialize its optical communications technology for AI. (Photo by Marie Yoshimura)
    Telecommunication

    NTT's optical AI tech fund picks Spanish startup as first target

    Japan telecom's IOWN fund joins Nvidia in funding round for switch maker iPronics

    9 September 2026
    SoftBank's test used a High-Altitude Platform Station from U.S. aerospace startup Sceye to demonstrate communications capabilities. (SoftBank)
    Companies

    SoftBank tests stratospheric aerial base station in Japan 1st

    Balloon-like station designed to maintain communications during emergencies

    3 September 2026
    Startups on the Tokyo exchange have struggled to grow and mature into larger-cap companies. (Photo by Shintaro Ino)
    IPO

    TSE's startup IPOs grow bigger in market cap, hitting record

    Average reaches $193m as new listing standards weed out smaller debuts

    30 August 2026
    A Muse retail robot and store employees stock the shelves at a grocery store in New York. (Photo by Kenji Asada)
    Technology

    Robot from Japan lightens load of restocking New York grocery store

    Developer Muse eyes massive market in US for physical AI

    28 August 2026
    Terra Drone will deliver its B1 interceptor drones to Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force. (Terra Drone)
    Aerospace & Defense Industries

    Japan's Terra Drone lands Self-Defense Forces order for interceptors

    Startup to deliver domestically produced craft as early as September

    26 August 2026
    Blackbird, Australia's largest venture capital firm, says it has raised $752 million for its most recent fund. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi and Blackbird)
    Startups

    Australian venture capital firm Blackbird raises $752m from Asian investors

    VC attracts institutional capital on the back of rapidly growing tech sector

    25 August 2026
    A grey heron flies next to wind turbines in Zhangjiakou, in China's Hebei province. MioTech helps companies with ESG reporting and sustainable supply chain management using AI software.
    Startups

    ESG analytics startup MioTech eyes 2028 IPO following China merger

    Company also considering potential merger with a European partner

    24 August 2026
    Auxiliary equipment for nuclear fusion reactors developed by Kyoto Fusioneering. The investment by Japan's GX Acceleration Agency is part of a broader plan to mobilize 370 trillion yen ($2.3 trillion) in public and private investment across 17 strategic sectors by fiscal 2040. (Photo by Eisaku Nitta)
    Startups

    Japan backs fusion, recycling startups in $125m public-private funding

    GX Acceleration Agency's investment in Kyoto Fusioneering, JEPLAN, is part of $2.3tn plan

    24 August 2026
    Japan's Financial Services Agency has registered Smartround Securities as a brokerage for secondary market trading of unlisted shares. (Source photos by Nikkei)
    Equities

    Japan greenlights new trading platform for unlisted shares

    Tokyo aims to raise more unicorns by promoting secondary market

    22 August 2026
    Malaysia ranked first in Southeast Asia both in fundraising volume and number of listings in the first half of 2026. (Photo by Norman Goh)
    IPO

    From Vietnam to Malaysia, Southeast Asian IPOs haul in $3bn in first half

    UI Boustead REIT, Sunway Healthcare and Dien May Xanh among notable listings

    20 August 2026
    U.S startup Joby, Toyota's joint venture partner, has been working to commercialize electric flying cars. (Joby Aviation)
    Aerospace & Defense Industries

    Toyota's successive chiefs press on with founder's dream of flying

    Joint venture with US startup Joby aims to realize century-old goal

    20 August 2026
    Gaianixx co-founder and CEO Kento Nakao says the company could start trial mass production by the end of this year. (Photo by Yuji Murakami) 
    Interview

    Japan chip startup targets AI boom as industry focus turns to materials

    University of Tokyo spinout expands production as customer projects advance

    19 August 2026
    Rakuten looks to turn startup support into a major revenue driver. (Photo by Mayumi Tsumita)
    Aerospace & Defense Industries

    Japan's Rakuten to partner with German AI defense drone startup

    Collaboration with Helsing could expand into Japanese production of autonomous equipment

    17 August 2026