[Stanford Silicon Valley - New Japan Project Website]

Motivation
 

There has been by a heightened interest in Silicon Valley as an innovation system. The interest is not only in Silicon Valley's entrepreneurism, but how entrepreneurship fits into the broader economic structure. Over the past few years, Silicon Valley has witnessed a new wave of Japanese startups (entrepreneurs, successful startups from Japan). This trend has occurred within the context of increased importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in Japan.

A key challenge is not simply to try to duplicate the ecosystem, but to figure out how large firms, fast-growing large startups, and emerging startups can “harness” the Silicon Valley ecosystem.

Silicon Valley is also seeing a greater maturing of interpersonal networks of Japanese, although they are not yet at the levels of some other prominent local network groups. The need for great university-business ties with Japanese businesses to U.S. universities is also clear.