On May 29, 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) published its 2026 Startup Ecosystem Survey, conducted with the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA). The report estimates startups generated a total created GDP of ¥25.69 trillion — roughly 4% of Japan’s nominal GDP.
The survey found that total created GDP grew 15.0% year over year, alongside 590,000 jobs created and ¥3.92 trillion in income generation. METI framed the data as evidence of momentum since the government adopted its Startup Five-Year Plan in 2022.
For overseas investors, the figures provide a rare government-sanctioned baseline for sizing the opportunity, and an explicit benchmark against international peer ecosystems.
METI stressed that understanding the current state and sharing recognition with stakeholders is central to sustaining ecosystem growth, signaling continued policy attention through the second half of the decade.