Japan External Trade Organization

Supports Japanese exporters by promoting foreign direct investment, trade partnerships, and global market entry for businesses.

Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) is Japan's government-related trade and investment agency, supervised by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. It was originally established in 1958 to promote Japanese exports abroad, and its current mandate centers on foreign direct investment into Japan, support for Japanese companies going global, and cross-border open innovation.

JETRO's public portfolio includes invest-in-Japan support for foreign-affiliated companies, startup acceleration for Japanese founders, and the J-Bridge cross-border platform. The startup side is broad: the agency says it supports more than 700 Japanese startups a year through roughly 15 acceleration programs, including the Global Startup Acceleration Program, the Global Acceleration Hub, X-HUB TOKYO OUTBOUND PROGRAM, Alchemist Japan, Techstars Tokyo, and J-StarX. The record also ties JETRO to sectors such as AI infrastructure, climate, energy, hardware, manufacturing, materials, robotics, agritech, biotech, medtech, space, and transport.

JETRO is structured to operate internationally rather than as a grant-only office. It runs 50+ overseas offices, works through an independent administrative institution model, and uses mentoring, matchmaking, review, and market-entry support to connect Japanese and foreign companies. That makes it especially relevant when a founder needs partner access, outward expansion, or a soft landing into Japan instead of a single cash award.