*Japan Zoominar @ UC San Diego: "Japan's Health Innovation: Looking into the Future" with Akihiko Soyama*

Wed, Feb 23, 9:00-10:00 am JST (Tue, Feb 22, 4:00-5:00 pm Pacific)

Japan is quietly rising to become a crucial player in the global pharmaceutical industry. From Nobel prizes to startup companies, Japan's health innovation ecosystem is growing fast. A major player is the Life Science Innovation Network of Japan (LINK-J), founded in 2016 in Tokyo to accelerate healthcare innovation. These initiatives also have direct connections to UC San Diego and San Diego's innovation community. Join Aki Soyama, CEO of LINK-J, to discuss current trends in Japan's life science startup scene and its rising global impact. How is Japan's health innovation ecosystem different, and what can we learn about the effectiveness of government policies and private investments to support its growth?

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*Akihiko Soyama* has been President and CEO of LINK-J since its foundation in 2016. Earlier in his career, he served as Deputy Director at METI (GOJ), project manager at Boston Consulting Group in Tokyo, Vice President/General Manager at Johnson and Johnson Japan, President at Biotronik Japan and President at Haemonetics Japan. Aki holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS (Physics) from the University of Tokyo. Aki also serves as a specially appointed Professor of Tohoku University and life science related committee member of MHLW (GOJ), METI (GOJ),AMED(GOJ), Kobe City, Sapporo City, etc.

*Takashi Kiyoizumi*,
MD, PhD is Executive Manager for the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology (JFIT) at UC San Diego. Taka is a seasoned biotech/pharma executive including CEO positions of MediciNova and Tanabe Research Laboratories, USA. Since 2005, he has been an angel investor and a board member of various life science companies. He is also a guest professor at the School of Health Innovation of Kanagawa University of Human Services. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from Keio University School of Medicine and S.M. (MBA) from Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


Register here: https://bit.ly/3KGOdlR

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