This year’s event in Tokyo expanded to its largest scale yet amid growing interest in Taiwan’s dominant semiconductor and AI sectors

Japan’s solutions-focused news service J-Stories is an official media partner of the 2024 Japan-Taiwan Innovations Summit. Here’s J-Stories’ special page where summit-related stories are featured in partnership with Startup Island TAIWAN, Taiwan’s national startup brand. J-Stories is run by Tokyo-based media agency Pacific Bridge Media & Consulting.

TOKYO, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The 2024 Japan-Taiwan Innovation Summit, the largest startup event to date featuring Japanese and Taiwanese aspiring to expand overseas, was held this month (Sept.17-18) in central Tokyo. Over 1,000 participants from various sectors – including politics, academia, large business and media – engaged with approximately 70 innovative startups over the two days.

The annual summit, which started two years ago, expanded further from previous years, incorporating cutting-edge industries, including AI, biomedical science, cybersecurity, digital services, fintech, defense and aerospace.

The two-day event was co-hosted by Taiwan’s National Development Council (NDC), a government body of Taiwan, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Tokyo-based media agency Pacific Bridge Media & Consulting also supported the event as the official media partner, featuring various reports and videos about the event on a special online page, bridging the gap between Taiwan’s top entrepreneurs and the startup community in Japan.

Discussed among the main topics were Taiwan’s booming semiconductor supply chain and its uninhibited growth potential within the next decade. Taiwan’s leading chipmaker, TSMC, was launched as a startup more than three decades ago with the support of the Taiwanese government. Now, the international company is building factories in southern Japan, giving those in Tokyo high hopes for Taiwan’s investments in bumping up semiconductor production capabilities and building more factories in Japan.

At this year’s summit, it was not only Taiwanese entrepreneurs who took the floor, but also Japanese startups. The summit featured a significant number of Japanese participants from financial institutions, venture capitalists, and trading companies. This increased Japanese involvement is expected to strengthen the Japan–Taiwan network and contribute to the development of a thriving international ecosystem.

To start Day 1, Taiwan’s NDC Minister Liu Chin-Ching (Paul Liu), the Taiwanese delegation leader for this summit, took the stage. Minister Liu stated: “We are implementing the ‘Bridge Plan’ to expand innovation internationally. While we have been advancing innovation domestically in Taiwan, our future goal is to pursue international collaboration, with Japan being our first partner.” He emphasized the significance of Japan and Taiwan’s collaborative efforts. 

A video message from Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike was shown following Liu’s speech. She emphasized, “Taiwan and Japan have built a strong cooperative relationship. Let’s join forces between Tokyo and Taiwan to launch significant innovation.”

Among the speakers was Kei Furukawa, an Investment Partner at UTokyo IPC, who gave a lecture titled “Innovation and Startup Development Systems at the University of Tokyo VC,” discussing the advancement of innovation and entrepreneurship through collaboration between government and universities in Japan.

Additionally, there were presentations from Japanese and Taiwanese startups and innovation companies, speeches by notable guests, and more. The summit concluded with an invitation-only opening ceremony for the Taiwan Startup Tokyo office and a gala dinner with investors.

Visit J-Stories’ special page here:
https://jstories.media/jp/specials/jtis

Event Overview:

Name: 2024 Japan-Taiwan Innovation SummitDate: September 17 (Tuesday) – 18 (Wednesday), 2024, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PMVenue: Tokyo Innovation Base (TiB) 2nd Floor (3-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, in front of Yurakucho Station)Format: On-site participationLanguages: Chinese, Japanese, and English (with simultaneous interpretation)Organizer: Startup Island TAIWAN

For more information on the Japan-Taiwan Innovation Summit 2024, please click here:

https://togethergobig.jp/en-summit

About J-Stories:

J-Stories is an online news platform that communicates innovative ideas, products, and technologies from Japan that address global issues to audiences and investors worldwide in Japanese, English, and Chinese. As the media partner for the “2024 Japan-Taiwan Innovation Summit,” J-Stories will be publishing articles about the summit before and after the event. J-Stories is run by Tokyo-based multilingual media agency Pacific Bridge Media & Consulting.

To receive the latest articles from J-Stories, please subscribe to our newsletter by emailing: jstories@pacificbridge.jp

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SOURCE PACIFIC BRIDGE MEDIA AND CONSULTING

BEIJING, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday encouraged personnel in China’s space industry to continue to work hard and accelerate progress in space endeavors while meeting with the representatives of space scientists and engineers who participated in the research and development in the Chang’e-6 lunar mission at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The Chang’e-6 probe was launched from China on May 3 this year. On June 25, its returner made a landing in north China, bringing back 1,935.3 grams of samples from the far side of the moon.

Xi noted that Chang’e-6, for the first time in human history, collected samples from the moon’s far side, breaking through a number of key technologies, marking another landmark achievement in China’s endeavors in space as well as in science and technology. It is an important milestone for China’s lunar exploration project.

Over the past 20 years, the lunar exploration project has focused on key core technologies and achieved fruitful results in scientific discovery, technological innovation, engineering practice, achievement application, and international cooperation. It has blazed a path of high-quality and cost-effective lunar exploration, making a major contribution to the development of China’s space industry and human space exploration, he said.

Xi stressed that over the past 75 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the space industry has grown from weak to strong, and achieved historic, high-quality and leap-forward development.

Since the 1950s, there have been more than 100 lunar exploration missions worldwide, achieving 10 successful sample return missions from the near side of the moon. However, it has always been a challenge to explore the far side of the moon, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In January 2019, China’s Chang’e-4 overcame the world challenge of landing on the far side of the moon. In December 2020, Chang’e-5 mission brought back the country’s first samples collected from the moon’s near side, which was the world’s freshest lunar samples since the 1970s.

And on June 25, 2024, carrying the first batch of lunar samples ever collected from the far side of the moon in human history, Chang’e-6 probe safely touched down in the Siziwang Banner, in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The mission not only set a new record for China’s lunar exploration program but it also has a profound impact on the global aerospace field, Kang Guohua, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times. 

Through the Chang’e-6 mission, China has demonstrated its leadership and influence in space exploration, Kang said, noting that samples collected from the far side of the moon hold immense value for scientific research and deep space exploration due to its uniqueness.

Such a large-scale, complex and highly integrated project has successively overcome key technologies such as the design of Earth-moon transfer orbits, soft landing on the lunar surface and high-speed re-entry and return. 

It has also driven technological innovations in new devices, materials and energy sources, observers said. 

Meanwhile, China’s “circle of friends” in lunar exploration is continuously expanding. 

Chang’e-6 mission carried four international scientific payloads from the European Space Agency, France, Italy and Pakistan. The Chang’e-7 mission has selected six international payloads, while the Chang’e-8 offers approximately 200 kilograms of payload capacity to the international community and has received over 30 cooperation applications to date, according to media reports. 

Looking beyond the moon, China announced earlier this month its ambitious plan to carry out Tianwen-3 mission, eyeing to retrieve samples from Mars and bring them back to Earth by around 2028, chief designer of the mission Liu Jizhong disclosed. The mission is expected to become the world’s first such attempt on the Red Planet, and will involve international payload cooperation, as well as global collaboration in sample and data sharing. 

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SOURCE Global Times

Lennard Yong Appointed as Founding Management and Group CEO to Spearhead Ascentium’s Global Expansion

SINGAPORE, Sept. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ascentium, a new global business services platform backed by Hillhouse Investment, today announced its official launch, the opening of its Singapore headquarters, and the appointment of Lennard Yong as Founding Management and Group CEO.  This milestone marks the culmination of an extraordinary year for Ascentium, which has consolidated 5 strategic corporate services acquisitions to form the foundation of its current enterprise in Asia Pacific. 

Under the group name Ascentium, the platform aims to globalise business operations and assist clients in scaling greater heights. The company’s mission extends beyond Asia Pacific, with plans to expand into key jurisdictions in offshore territories, the UK, and EMEA in the near future.

Ascentium’s launch comes at a pivotal moment in global business trends. The world has evolved into multipolar markets, increasing the need for clients to de-conglomerate their global corporations and adapt decisions regionally and locally.  This shift coincides with the emergence of a new wave of leaders and talent, inspired by different social and work values, who are driven to excel in organisations that recognise and value their professional service contributions.  Furthermore, the advent of technological advancements now allows Ascentium to prioritise improvements in client pain points and internal efficiency.  Finally, with the end of more than a decade of low interest rates and higher core inflation globally, there is a growing necessity for investments that prioritise core operating productivity and sustainable real business growth.

Ascentium’s first acquisition was InCorp Global, based in 8 markets with headquarters in Singapore. Following 4 additional acquisitions, Ascentium now boasts approximately 1,500 professionals across 9 markets in the Asia-Pacific region, delivering solutions for over 20,000 active clients across diverse industries. With this foundation, Ascentium aims to become a global leading technology-enabled corporate service provider anchored in Singapore, helping its clients and people to scale to greater heights.

Lennard Yong, Founding Management and Group CEO of Ascentium, shared his vision: “I am grateful for the opportunity to build Ascentium with the sponsorship of Hillhouse.  From the beginning, Hillhouse shared our observations about shifting global trends and recognised the need for business service providers to capitalise on these changes.  Ascentium’s core mission is to globalise the world by adapting to these trends and becoming a technology-enabled corporate services provider for our clients.” 

Lennard continued, “Today marks a significant milestone in our journey. Ascentium was conceived over 12 months ago but is now a reality in 9 markets, employing nearly 1,500 people.  I am thankful for the commitment of my leaders and team, especially our Founding Management and Group President, Wendy Wang, the group officers of Ascentium, and the CEOs of our key markets.  We are excited for the future and look forward to our partnership with Hillhouse, our clients and our people.”

Sean Carney, Partner, Co-Head of Global Buyout at Hillhouse Investment, expressed his support: “Lennard is an experienced industry leader with a proven track record in building business services platforms globally.  We are thrilled to partner with his team on Ascentium’s growth journey. This partnership aligns with our investment philosophy of supporting businesses that drive transformation and unlock growth potential. Ascentium’s understanding of changing global trends, innovative approach, and commitment to client success position it well to address the evolving needs of businesses in a  complex global environment.”

About Ascentium

Ascentium is a leading global business services platform dedicated to helping businesses scale greater heights. Headquartered in Singapore and backed by Hillhouse Investment, we empower extraordinary growth through specialised expertise across secretarial, finance, payroll, HR administration, family office, fund administration, GRC, and cross-border & FDI specialist services. Our team of 1,500 professionals spans 9 markets in the Asia-Pacific region, serving over 20,000 active clients across diverse industries. Through innovative, technology-enabled solutions and collaborative approach, Ascentium drives transformative growth, helping clients navigate complex global environments.

For more information, visit: ascentium.com

About Hillhouse Investment

Hillhouse Investment is a long-term investor focused on partnering with quality business leaders to help them grow their organizations globally. For almost 20 years, Hillhouse has worked alongside traditional businesses that have redefined their industries. Our goal is to establish alignment and build sustainable, forward-thinking companies that create lasting value for all stakeholders. Hillhouse is a full life-cycle private equity firm, investing for the long term across opportunities in the business services, healthcare, consumer, and industrials sectors. Operating an integrated platform spanning private equity, credit, real assets and public equity, the firm manages capital on behalf of global institutions such as non-profit foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and pensions.

Media Contacts

Nancy So – Associate Director, Group Marketing, Ascentium
nancy.so@ascentium.comRoger Ng – Head Edelman Smithfield Singapore  
roger.ng@edelmansmithfield.com

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