Startups are a key component of economic security

TY - GEN

T1 - Startups are a key component of economic security

AU - Pacheco Pardo, Ramon

AU - Klingler-Vidra, Robyn

PY - 2025/4/15

Y1 - 2025/4/15

N2 - Japan, South Korea and Taiwan share a common dilemma: how to boost their own economic security faced with an antagonistic China and an unreliable United States under President Donald Trump. The three Northeast Asian democracies have formidable tools at their disposal: large, internationally competitive firms operating at the leading edge of multiple technologies, along with capable governments that have shown great ability to create the conditions for economic growth over the decades.Policy-makers in Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo now need to turn their attention to a new actor to guarantee the economic security of their countries: start-ups.Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been nurturing start-ups for decades. Japan’s J-Startup Program, South Korea’s Centers for Creative Economy & Innovation and the Taiwan Tech Arena are three examples of government-led initiatives seeking to nurture entrepreneurship and scale up start-ups as they grow. Crucially, these and other publicly funded initiatives have survived changes in government in the three countries. This indicates that there is broad consensus across the political spectrum that start-ups are essential to the national economic and social fabric.

AB - Japan, South Korea and Taiwan share a common dilemma: how to boost their own economic security faced with an antagonistic China and an unreliable United States under President Donald Trump. The three Northeast Asian democracies have formidable tools at their disposal: large, internationally competitive firms operating at the leading edge of multiple technologies, along with capable governments that have shown great ability to create the conditions for economic growth over the decades.Policy-makers in Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo now need to turn their attention to a new actor to guarantee the economic security of their countries: start-ups.Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been nurturing start-ups for decades. Japan’s J-Startup Program, South Korea’s Centers for Creative Economy & Innovation and the Taiwan Tech Arena are three examples of government-led initiatives seeking to nurture entrepreneurship and scale up start-ups as they grow. Crucially, these and other publicly funded initiatives have survived changes in government in the three countries. This indicates that there is broad consensus across the political spectrum that start-ups are essential to the national economic and social fabric.

KW - Startup

KW - SECURITY

KW - JAPAN

KW - TAIWAN

KW - South Korea

KW - TECHNOLOGY

UR - https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Startups-are-a-key-component-of-economic-security

M3 - Other contribution

CY - Nikkei Asia

ER -