Best startup cities in Japan in 2027

8 cities in Japan make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Tokyo leads at #15 with a total score of 21.79, followed by Kyoto (#124) and Osaka (#128).

For women founders, Fukuoka scores highest in Japan on the MeanCEO Index with 71/100. Each city page covers funding, company registration, taxes, founder visas, pros and cons, and the ten MeanCEO factors.

Startup cities in Japan, ranked

#	City	World rank	Total	Quantity	Quality	Business	MeanCEO
1	Tokyo	#15	21.79	2.5	16	3.3	70
2	Kyoto	#124	4.63	0.29	1.19	3.15	56
3	Osaka	#128	4.56	0.13	1.13	3.3	61
4	Fukuoka	#240	1.47	0.11	0.23	1.13	71
5	Nagoya	#246	1.4	0.07	0.26	1.08	60
6	Hiroshima	#697	0.21	0.02	0.03	0.16	66
7	Sapporo	#768	0.18	0.03	0.02	0.14	62
8	Tsukuba	#909	0.13	0.01	0.02	0.1	57

Total = quantity (startups, accelerators, coworking spaces) + quality (traction of top startups, unicorns, exits) + business environment (national conditions), from the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index (2024 edition). The MeanCEO Index (0 to 100) is our own score of how livable and welcoming a city is for women founders.

Other countries in Asia and Oceania

All countries · All 1,000 cities, ranked