Japan has one of the most developed biotechnology sectors in the world, as evidenced by the high number of patents filed. Although the number of bio venture start-ups peaked in 2006, several foreign firms are now trying to enter the market. Moreover, the government is supporting the sector’s development and has passed several laws to assist it; it is being viewed as a national strategy. Find out more about Japan's biotechnology sector below.
With an ever-increasing number of bio-ventures and the establishment of a new ecosystem in the Japanese biotech field, this sector offers many opportunities for European SME companies.
With Asia’s largest bioinformatics database located in Japan, the sector will be of an increasing importance, especially with its application to the medical and pharmaceutical industries.
Japan is the third largest pharmaceutical market in the world, and the biologically active substances (biopharmaceuticals) are considered to be the driving force behind innovation in this industry.
In 2020, the Japanese agricultural biotechnology market was valued at about 615 billion yen. Japan remains one of the world’s largest per-capita importers of food and feed produced using modern biotechnologies.
This website and related activities are managed by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, a joint venture between the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) and the Japanese Government's Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI).
