Japanese Prime Minister: To strengthen support for startups and continuously advance the development of Japan's Web3 innovation ecosystem.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirmed during her pre-recorded opening address at WebX 2026 that the Japanese government will step up support for startups. She noted that with the synergy between the Web3 conference and government support policies, Japan’s innovation ecosystem is poised for further growth. Takaichi first touched on WebX’s positioning, stating that as one of Asia’s largest conferences focused on Web3 social applications and built on blockchain technology, WebX draws around 15,000 global attendees, making it highly significant. “This conference attracts numerous startups and hosts matchmaking events with various investment institutions,” she said. “For Web3 practitioners, it serves as an important platform for equal exchanges on the future of society and industry, mutual knowledge enhancement, and fostering further business collaborations—holding great importance.” Successive Japanese cabinets have consistently advanced Web3 strategies. Since the Kishida administration formulated the “Five-Year Startup Development Plan,” both the Ishiba administration and the current Takaichi administration have leveraged the WebX platform to directly convey policy signals to the industry. This demonstrates that Japan’s policy direction for promoting Web3 development has remained unchanged despite cabinet reshuffles, maintaining strong policy continuity.