Yokohama LINK-J Life Science Lounge NYC Meetup 2026: Bridging the U.S. and Japan Life Science Ecosystems
Yokohama LINK-J Life Science Lounge NYC Meetup 2026
- Bridging the U.S. and Japan Life Science Ecosystems -
The Yokohama LINK-J Life Science Lounge is a hub established in New York through the collaboration between the City of Yokohama Representative Office to the Americas and LINK-J, with the aim of strengthening connections and fostering collaboration in the life science sector between the United States and Japan.
The Lounge serves both as an information platform providing insights into the U.S. life science and business landscape, and as a networking hub that connects companies, research institutions, and industry experts, thereby promoting cross-border ecosystem collaboration and open innovation.
This event is organized to coincide with the BIO International Convention in San Diego, leveraging the opportunity that key stakeholders from Japan’s life science ecosystem—including LINK-J members, startups, universities, and research institutions—will be visiting the United States and gathering in New York City.
Bringing together these Japanese stakeholders with New York-based investors, companies, and ecosystem partners, the event aims to create meaningful connections and unlock new opportunities for collaboration, investment, and business development between the two markets.
In addition, participation from New York City Economic Development Corporation and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati will provide both public-sector and practical, execution-focused perspectives, further enhancing opportunities for concrete partnerships and deal-making.
| Who Should Attend
We welcome participants across the life science ecosystem, including:
Investors seeking opportunities to invest in or partner with Japanese life science startups
Corporates and organizations interested in collaboration with Japanese innovators
Accelerators, consultants, and ecosystem partners supporting the U.S. expansion of Japanese startups
Researchers and institutions interested in exploring technologies and collaborative research opportunities from Japanese universities and research organizations
Anyone interested in cross-border innovation, investment, and business opportunities between the U.S. and Japan life science ecosystems
| Event Overview
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026
Time: Opens: 3:30 PM (Sessions will be held from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM)
Venue: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (New York City)
31 W 52nd St Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10019Format: In-person
Organizers: City of Yokohama, LINK-J
Special Sponsor: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR)
Supporting Organizations: NINE JP, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)
Target Audience: Investors, corporates, startups, universities, and research institutions engaged in the life science sector across the U.S. and Japan
Language: English
Participation Fee: Free (registration required)
Capacity: 70 participants (first-come, first-served basis)
Registration: Required
Contact: City of Yokohama Representative Office to the Americas (Nishikawa / Ricci) [email protected]
| Program Overview
The event will feature a keynote presentation by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), followed by two panel discussions focused on “Japan to U.S.” and “U.S. to Japan” expansion, as well as a networking session.
Introduction
(1) City of Yokohama
(2) LINK-J
Shunichi Takahashi, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, LINK-J
Visiting Professor, University of TsukubaIn 1993, Takahashi began his career as a researcher at a pharmaceutical company. Following a series of mergers, he became affiliated with Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd., where he led projects focused on new drug discovery and validation. During this time, he also contributed to regenerative medicine and iPS cell research as a senior researcher at the Kobe Research Center.
He later served as manager of cardiovascular project management within Bayer’s Product Development Japan division, overseeing cardiovascular projects. He was subsequently appointed head of the Primary Care Department in Medical Affairs Japan. In 2014, he was appointed head of Bayer’s Open Innovation Center Japan. In this role, he not only established the center but also led the first comprehensive partnership with Kyoto University. He also launched Bayer’s third startup incubator, CoLaborator Kobe. As a member of the Bayer Open Innovation Global Leadership Team, he played a key role in advancing open innovation in Japan.
In 2022, Takahashi left Bayer and joined LINK-J as President & COO, where he has been contributing to the development of life science ecosystems in Japan. In April 2026, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer.
(3) NINE JP
Koji Murota
Head of the Growth Strategy Headquarters
Kyoto UniversityKoji Murota is Head of the Growth Strategy Headquarters at Kyoto University. Following his graduation from Gakushuin University's Faculty of Law, he built an extensive career in venture investment and international finance at Japan Investment Finance Co., Ltd. (now Daiwa Corporate Investment Co., Ltd.), serving as Head of Investment Planning, Head of International Division, and General Manager of the Kansai Branch. In 2016, he became President and CEO of Kyoto University Innovation Capital Co., Ltd., leading university-originated startup investment initiatives. He was nominated to the Global University Venturing Power List 2018 and recognized as one of the Best 8 at Venture Houston 2018. He served as Head of the Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration Headquarters from 2020 before assuming his current role in 2024. He holds an MBA from École des Ponts ParisTech, and is a Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA) and CMA.
Keynote “U.S. Life Science Market and Investment Trends from a New York Perspective”
This session will provide an overview of the latest developments in the U.S. life science market, with a focus on the rapidly growing New York ecosystem. It will highlight investment trends, startup growth dynamics, and evolving industry infrastructure, while positioning New York within the broader U.S. landscape. The session will also explore opportunities for Japanese companies and startups entering the U.S. market, as well as potential areas for international collaboration.
<Speaker>
Zehra Ansari
Senior Project Manager of Life Sciences and Healthcare
New York City Economic Development CorporationZehra Ansari is a Senior Project Manager of Life Sciences and Healthcare at NYCEDC, where she leads origination, diligence, and structuring for New York City's early-stage life sciences investment fund, spanning women's health innovation, synthetic biology, computational biology, and advanced manufacturing. Earlier, she led corporate affairs at a biotechnology company through FDA approval and a $32M financing, and advised decision-makers at the United Nations and the White House.
Panel Discussion 1
“Japan to the U.S.: Fundraising, Regulatory Strategy, and Scaling in the World’s Largest Life Science Market”
This session will address the practical challenges faced by Japanese life science startups entering the U.S. market, including fundraising, regulatory strategy, and partnership development. Panelists will share real-world insights and strategies on how to scale in a highly competitive environment, drawing from perspectives of investors, corporates, and industry experts.
<Panelists>
・Keiji Asada, PhD (CEO/President at Amenichi Consulting, LLC)
・Kenichiro(Nobu) Kuninobu (Co-founder and CEO of FELIQS)
・Koji Yasuda (Principal at Fast Track Initiative, Inc.)
・Seth Flaum (Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC) (Moderator)
<Panelist Bio>
Keiji Asada, PhD
CEO/President at Amenichi Consulting, LLCKeiji Asada is a regulatory consultant and biotechnology entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the CRO industry and FDA regulatory affairs. He is the Founder and CEO of Amenichi Consulting, LLC, advising pharmaceutical and medical device companies, with a particular focus on supporting Japanese companies entering the U.S. market.
In addition to his consulting work, Keiji is a co-founder of Progenicyte Therapeutics, Inc. and Insanity Labs, working on neurological disease solutions and AI-driven digital health technologies.
He has supported over 60 companies and contributed to more than 35 FDA regulatory approvals. His experience spans regulatory strategy, market entry, M&A due diligence, and commercialization, supporting successful cross-border partnerships and business development.
Fluent in Japanese and experienced in working with Japanese companies, he brings both regulatory expertise and cultural understanding to U.S.–Japan collaborations.
He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University and is a certified ISO 13485 and MDSAP Lead Auditor.
Kenichiro(Nobu) Kuninobu
Co-founder and CEO of FELIQSKenichiro(Nobu) Kuninobu is the Co-founder and CEO of FELIQS, a cross-border, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on neonatal drug development, with headquarters in Fukuoka, Japan and Bellevue, WA. The company has secured $12M in funding and is currently conducting the Phase 1b study in the United States for the prevention of retinopathy of prematurity, a leading cause of pediatric blindness.
Nobu began his career at Nipro Corporation as a CMC scientist, building a strong foundation in pharmaceutical development. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated diverse leadership experience: co-development with Sandoz, the establishment of Nipro’s first international pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Vietnam, government affairs initiatives in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan, business development activities including partnerships with Daiichi-Sankyo, and co-development of a regenerative advanced therapy program with Yale University.
Nobu holds a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Kyushu University and a Ph.D. in Medical Science from Nagasaki University. He has also served as a committee member of the Fukuoka Bio-community, one of Japan’s largest regional biotech clusters.
Koji Yasuda
Principal at Fast Track Initiative, Inc.Koji Yasuda is a Principal at Fast Track Initiative (FTI), a Japan- and Boston-based life science venture capital firm focused on company creation and early-stage biotech investment. Koji works closely with company builders and academic founders across therapeutics and platform technologies, supporting company formation, financing, clinical strategy, and global partnering efforts between Japan and the U.S.
Koji is actively involved in portfolio company building and currently serves in board or observer roles for companies including Shinobi Therapeutics, RegCell, Sonire Therapeutics, and Storm Therapeutics. His work focuses on helping translate globally competitive science and technologies originating from Japan into internationally scalable biotech companies.
Prior to joining FTI, Koji held roles at Pfizer and Takeda in early clinical development and biomarker strategy, and was an early team member at Kintai Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering-founded precision-medicine company. He received his DVM from Cornell University and his PhD from Harvard University.
Seth Flaum
Partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PCSeth Flaum is a partner in the New York office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he is a member of the technology transactions practice. With more than 25 years of broad transactional experience, he represents life sciences companies in a wide range of strategic transactions and corporate matters.
Prior to joining the firm, Seth was the executive associate general counsel for Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., a global pharmaceutical company based in Japan, where he trained and managed a team of lawyers and business professionals responsible for implementing the company's global business development transactions. In this role, Seth counseled on strategic transactions, structuring, negotiating, and drafting strategic collaboration agreements, licensing agreements, research and development agreements, co-promotion agreements, commercialization agreements, option agreements, material transfer agreements, clinical trial agreements, CRO agreements, distribution agreements, manufacturing and supply agreements, and other transactions. He also has experience with public and private M&A transactions, and has advised on antitrust issues and filings, FINRA inquiries, SEC filings, and corporate governance matters.
Before joining Daiichi Sankyo, Seth was a senior associate at Ullman, Shapiro & Ullman, LLP in New York. Previously, he was general counsel at H&H Bagels, corporate counsel at Thompson Medical Company and Slim Fast Foods Company, and an associate at D'Erasmo, Shure & Perez in Rockville, Maryland.
Panel Discussion 2
“U.S. to Japan: Opportunities in the Japanese Life Science Market and Strategies for Growth”
This session will explore the unique strengths and opportunities of the Japanese life science market and how they can be effectively leveraged. It will provide practical insights into how U.S. companies and startups can navigate the business environment, build trust, and develop successful strategies for growth and collaboration in Japan.
<Panelists>
・Norikazu Eiki (President, EIKI CONSULTING, LLC; Founder and Member of the Board, Japanese Foundation for Rare Disease Research (JFRDR)
・Akio Uemura, PhD (Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs and Development, Crecon Research & Consulting, Inc.)
・Scott Xiao (Co-Founder and CEO, Luminopia)
・Ikuo Hayashi, PhD, MBA (Executive Life Science Strategist at Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. President & COO at LINK-J) (Moderator)
<Panelist Bio>
Norikazu Eiki
President, EIKI CONSULTING, LLC; Founder and Member of the Board, Japanese Foundation for Rare Disease Research (JFRDR)Mr. Eiki began his career at Ciba-Geigy Japan in 1979 and later joined Bayer Yakuhin in 1994. He served as Director and Plant Manager of Shiga Plant, and subsequently as President (2002–2006) and Chairman (2007–2014) of Bayer Yakuhin. During his tenure, he also held key positions in major industry organizations, including the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and ISPE. After retiring from Bayer in 2014, he relocated to New Jersey and continues to work as a consultant in the U.S.
Akio Uemura, PhD
Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs and Development
Crecon Research & Consulting, Inc.Over 45 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in Japan and the United States, primarily engaged in research and development. Worked at Mochida Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly, and Allergan, covering a broad range of areas including discovery science, clinical development, regulatory affairs, and project management, and held senior management positions overseeing entire R&D organizations. During this time, also completed an overseas assignment in the United States and was involved in the development and operation of global R&D frameworks. Led regulatory functions including PMDA consultations, clinical trial notifications, NDA submissions, and product approvals, while also contributing to the development of regulatory policy through industry activities. Built strong relationships with key regulatory authorities, clinical investigators, and industry stakeholders. Currently supports the R&D activities of Japanese and international pharmaceutical companies as an independent consultant.
Scott Xiao
Co-Founder and CEO
LuminopiaScott Xiao is the Co-Founder and CEO of Luminopia, a medtech company he started in 2015 while studying at Harvard University. Working at the intersection of ophthalmology and neuroscience, Scott led Luminopia to develop the first FDA-cleared VR-based treatment for any medical condition — a therapy for amblyopia ("lazy eye") in children that replaces eye-patching by letting kids watch modified versions of their favorite TV shows in a VR headset. The treatment has been prescribed to more than 14,000 patients by over 1,500 providers across the U.S., and Scott has been recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35, and Modern Healthcare's 40 Under 40.
Ikuo Hayashi, PhD, MBA
Executive Life Science Strategist of Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
President & COO of LINK-J (Moderator)After working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tokyo, he engaged in drug discovery research in the field of neurological diseases (e.g., Target ID/validation, development of in vitro assay systems) as a researcher at Merck Research Laboratories, USA and Toray Pharmaceutical Research Laboratories, Inc. in Japan. After working as COO at Hamamatsu Pharma Research USA, Inc. in San Diego, U.S., he joined Open Innovation Center at Bayer Japan in May 2020 and was involved in programs such as the startup support program "Kansai Life Science Accelerator Program and a shared lab/office space, CoLaborator Kobe.
Since May 2023, he has been involved in fostering the life science innovation ecosystem and promoting overseas collaboration as Executive Life Science Strategist at Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and President & COO at LINK-J.
PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Tokyo, R.Ph., and MBA from University of California, San Diego.
| Organizers & Supporting Organizations
<Organizers>
About City of Yokohama
City of Yokohama is Japan’s second-largest city, located just 30 minutes from Tokyo, with excellent access to a major global market. As a historic port city, it serves as an international gateway and a growing hub for innovation, particularly in life sciences and climate-related sectors such as mobility.
The city is home to BioJapan, held annually and recognized as one of the most international life science conferences in Japan. It also hosts Pacifico Yokohama, one of the country’s largest convention complexes with a high concentration of international conferences.
Yokohama is also the only Japanese municipality with an official office in New York, actively supporting U.S. startups entering Japan and Japanese startups expanding to the U.S. through partnerships including LINK-J.
About LINK-J
LINK-J is a general incorporated association established by Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and volunteers from academia and industry. Based in the Nihonbashi, Tokyo area, which has a cluster of pharmaceutical companies, LINK-J’s purpose is to promote open innovation in life sciences through industry-government-academia partnerships and support the creation of new industry. It will promote internal and external personal interactions and technology exchanges beyond any specific field in the life science domain, which is a composite of all the sciences, including medicine, physical science, engineering, ICT, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies. (https://www.link-j.org/en/)
<Special Sponsor>
About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR)
For more than 60 years, Wilson Sonsini’s services and legal disciplines have focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leading provider to growing and established clients seeking legal counsel to complete sophisticated corporate and technology transactions; manage governance and enterprise-scale matters; assist with intellectual property development, protection, and IP-driven transactions; represent them in contested disputes; and/or advise them on antitrust or other regulatory matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has more than 1,000 attorneys and 17 offices in 16 technology, business, and regulatory markets across the United States, Asia, and Europe.
<Supporting Organization>
About NINE JP
NINEJP (National Innovation Network for Entrepreneur Japan) is the innovation ecosystem for creating globally competitive businesses together with university-led startups support platforms in 9 regions across Japan. NINEJP connects over 160 Japanese universities, research institutions, and other stakeholders, and visualizes the potential of research seeds from multiple perspectives. NINEJP creates businesses that solve social issues with “connecting” and “visualizing”.
About The New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
NYCEDC is the official economic development arm for the City of New York. EDC aims to create an inclusive, resilient, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers, which includes strengthening the footprint of Japanese companies in the city. For that purpose, EDC is managing 66M+ square feet of real estate across the boroughs to strengthen business confidence in New York (more here) and to grow innovation in life sciences (among others) with a focus on equity. More on EDC’s life sciences initiatives are here: Life Sciences | NYCEDC.