JAPAN ’ S UNICORN COUNT : 3
LEADERSHIP
32
E ast Asia has historically been one of the world ’ s technology powerhouses , whether that ’ s Japan ’ s consumer technology giants such as Nintendo and Sony or China ’ s titanic conglomerates such as Alibaba and Tencent . We take the temperature of three beacons of the region in the form of China , Japan and Southeast Asia ( SEA ) to better understand how that reputation will fare in the age of the unicorn ( a technology startup valued at over $ 1bn ).
JAPAN ’ S UNICORN COUNT : 3
Japan has a reputation as one of the world ’ s most technologically advanced countries , but it ’ s a perception that may falter in coming years thanks to the lack of startups . While the US and China have produced hundreds of technology unicorns between them , Japan still relies on older stalwarts such as Sony , Nintendo , Panasonic , Fujitsu and Hitachi .
When the words Japan and startups come together , SoftBank is inevitably
FEBRUARY 2020