Member

I grew up in Toyota City, Aichi — a town built around the automotive industry. A single industry created jobs, sustained the town, and gave people work they were proud of. That sight is my earliest reference point. But no industry is guaranteed another hundred years. So I came to see it as my role to build, with my own hands, the next industry that will support Japan.

I studied computer vision at the University of Tokyo and went on to build businesses as a founder and CTO at AI startups. Through both the successes and the regrets, I became convinced of one thing: if you intend to compete globally from a base in Japan, you have to find the field where starting in Japan is the single greatest advantage. Take a domain that only someone here would take on, and go for the top of a global niche. The answer was the maritime industry. It is a growth industry tied to the world economy, Japan holds a historical advantage in it, and it is right now at a moment of change. I don't believe any other field satisfies all three.