In the first part, we went back to 2017, when the first “SKS JAPAN ” was held, and briefly introduced the impact that the concept of “food tech” introduced by Mr. Tanaka had on the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hirotaka Tanaka (hereinafter Tanaka):<\/span>” During this period, which could be called the ‘first stage of the food tech revolution’ in Japan , various startup companies emerged, and the government began to support research and development through subsidies.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He says that the period from 2025 to the present is the second stage . Since entering the second stage, in addition to the aforementioned startups , interest has been drawn from other industries such as real estate .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitsui Fudosan ‘s “&mog Food Lab” is one such example , a project underway in Nihonbashi, the company’s birthplace, to create ” food innovation .” Then , in the fall of 2025 , the government announced “public-private investment in 17 strategic areas,” and the food tech sector was selected as one of the growth industries .<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u3000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanaka:<\/span>“And this is very important: since 2023 , the calls for Japan from around the world have been accelerating . New food industries are emerging overseas, linked to food and health issues and food crises, and they are looking to Japan for inspiration. They believe that Japan, being an advanced country with an aging population, a sophisticated food culture and food processing technology, and a strong sense of ‘authentic value,’ has something to offer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, even without creating ultra-processed foods such as alternative foods , Japan has a food culture nurtured with microorganisms, such as vegetarian cuisine and fermentation . Tanaka expresses concern, saying, ” There has been no one to globalize Japan’s traditional food culture. What is happening as a result is a loss of value . “<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanaka:<\/span>” For example , overseas companies have already taken notice of Japanese koji mold and are selling it as ‘oat milk utilizing traditional Japanese fermentation technology , ‘ making a profit by adding value to Japanese ingredients . He says that what he’s currently thinking about is a form of food industry where “the more you produce, the more people and culture remain . “<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tanaka:<\/span>“Up until the first stage, the food tech industry tended to focus on chasing technological development. How can we survive in order to remain a country that can continue to produce food? \u2014There is no answer yet, but one thing is clear: the need to “act now.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The person I interviewed Text: Kie Oku Hirotaka Tanaka ( CEO of UnlocX Co., Ltd.), a leading figure in food tech who organizes “SKS JAPAN,” one of the largest global food tech conferences in Japan , about the future of Japan’s food industry. \u3000 “From 2025 onwards, Mitsui Fudosan will also participate in the second stage.” In the first part, we went back to 2017, when the first “SKS JAPAN ” was held, and briefly introduced the impact that the concept of “food tech” introduced by Mr. Tanaka had on the industry. Hirotaka Tanaka (hereinafter Tanaka):” During this period, which could be called the ‘first stage of the food tech revolution’ in Japan , various startup companies emerged, and the government began to support research and development through subsidies.” He says that the period from 2025 to the present is the second stage . Since entering the second stage, in addition to the aforementioned startups , interest has been drawn from other industries such as real estate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1377,"template":"","column_cat":[],"class_list":["post-1380","column","type-column","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","en-AU"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column\/1380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/column"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column\/1380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1381,"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column\/1380\/revisions\/1381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"column_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/column_cat?post=1380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Is there a risk of traditional food culture being lost ?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If Japan acts now, it can reap great rewards , but if it doesn’t act, it is highly likely to decline. That ‘s what it means to be at a crossroads .
Furthermore, Japan’s food situation is in crisis because it lacks food sovereignty. Its self-sufficiency rate is low , and the number of producers and artisans is declining sharply. If this continues, Japan will become a country unable to produce its own food. Globalization holds the key to avoiding this.
In other words, we’re taking advantage of the price difference between domestic and international markets to gain revenue from overseas. However, we’ll lose out if we only focus on individual products. I believe we need a system where we can turn our technology and culture into an operating system or platform, export it as a system, and not only make people feel the value of Japanese technology, but also return the rewards to them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what’s important is to go back to the basics of eating and think about “sustainable food.
Now that countries around the world are considering food sovereignty , Japan also needs to take action on its own.
Therefore, at SKS JAPAN in November, we plan to hold a session to discuss collaboration at the country level. We want to invite organizations that are active around the world to consider what Japan can systematize and globalize.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.and-mog.com\/assets\/data\/image2-1024x683.jpeg\")
Hirotaka Tanaka
\nCEO of UnlocX Co. , Ltd. After working at Panasonic, he spent eight years at McKinsey & Company, focusing on the high-tech and telecommunications industries, where he was involved in growth strategy planning and execution, M&A, new business development, and venture collaborations. In 2017 , he joined SigmaXis and launched the global food tech summit “SKS JAPAN”. While working to support business development related to food and build communities , he founded UnlocX Co. , Ltd. in October 2023 with the aim of creating a food ecosystem . He is the co-author of “Food Tech Revolution” ( 2020 \/Nikkei BP), “The Future of Food Transformed by Food Tech” ( 2025 \/PHP Shinsho), and “Food Tech as General Knowledge” ( 2025 \/Nikkei BP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo: Kazue Shibuya<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"