Mobility Innovations Connecting Japan and US
2024/12/9
Introduction by Morrison Foerster
Opening Remarks from Consul General Osumi
On Thursday, December 5, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco hosted an event titled “Mobility Innovations Connecting Japan and US,” at Morrison Foerster in Palo Alto, co-organized with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Northern California (JCCNC), the Japan Society of Northern California (JSNC), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) San Francisco. This event, attended by about 140 people, showcased up-and-coming opportunities in the mobility sector while fostering collaboration between major Japanese companies and Bay Area startups. During the event, Consul General Yo Osumi gave the opening remarks, where he extended an open invitation to Bay Area startups to participate in the Japanese government’s Mobility DX Platform. The platform aims to build public-private partnerships that promote software defined vehicles (SDV) in Japan.
The program featured two keynote speeches: First, Maria Onorato, Foreign Direct Investment Program Manager at the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), gave an overview of the development of autonomous vehicles, zero-emissions vehicles, and other advanced mobility technologies the state, while outlining the investment opportunities available to international businesses. Second, Shugo Yamaguchi, President & CEO of Sony Honda Mobility of America Inc, spoke about the company’s AFEELA technology, a mobility platform that combines autonomous driving with entertainment. Later, prominent Japanese mobility companies (Denso, Yamaha Motor Ventures, and Nissan North America Inc.) presented on their latest innovations and shared information about their partnership opportunities to an audience of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and industry professionals. During the break, guests enjoyed a promotional video about Expo 2025, the upcoming World Expo in Osaka.
In addition, there were presentations from local leading startups in the mobility space, including Skydio, SwyftCities, Helm.AI, and Serve Robotics. These startups detailed their innovative use cases in city-wide transit, autonomous driving, delivery services, and aerial robotics.
The program featured two keynote speeches: First, Maria Onorato, Foreign Direct Investment Program Manager at the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), gave an overview of the development of autonomous vehicles, zero-emissions vehicles, and other advanced mobility technologies the state, while outlining the investment opportunities available to international businesses. Second, Shugo Yamaguchi, President & CEO of Sony Honda Mobility of America Inc, spoke about the company’s AFEELA technology, a mobility platform that combines autonomous driving with entertainment. Later, prominent Japanese mobility companies (Denso, Yamaha Motor Ventures, and Nissan North America Inc.) presented on their latest innovations and shared information about their partnership opportunities to an audience of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and industry professionals. During the break, guests enjoyed a promotional video about Expo 2025, the upcoming World Expo in Osaka.
In addition, there were presentations from local leading startups in the mobility space, including Skydio, SwyftCities, Helm.AI, and Serve Robotics. These startups detailed their innovative use cases in city-wide transit, autonomous driving, delivery services, and aerial robotics.
Keynote presentation by Ms. Onorato (GO-Biz)
Keynote presentation by Shugo Yamaguchi (Sony Honda Mobility)
Presentations by Japanese mobility companies
Presentations by local startups
Closing remarks by JCCNC President Kazuhiro Gomi
