Government, industry, and academic leaders gathered in Osaka for a ceremony marking the opening of O-Nexus
On Tuesday, June 2, CIC held the grand opening ceremony for Osaka Life Science Nexus by Nippon Life and CIC (“O-Nexus”) at Nakanoshima Qross, an international hub for developing the future of medical care in Osaka’s Nakanoshima district. O-Nexus is a life sciences-focused innovation campus jointly operated by CIC and Nippon Life Insurance Company.
Leaders from across Japan and around the world, including representatives from government, healthcare, academia, investment firms, startups, and major corporations, gathered to celebrate the launch of O-Nexus, a new innovation hub connecting Osaka to the global life sciences community.
The ceremony opened with remarks from Takashi Masuyama, Managing Executive Officer of Nippon Life Insurance Company, and Takaaki Umezawa, Chairperson of CIC Japan.
“This vision includes elements that may seem like a grand dream, but unless you dream big, you cannot lead an endeavor to success. This is a new challenge for us as well, but together with everyone involved, we are fully committed to making this initiative a success and to bringing new forms of safety beyond insurance, such as healthcare and nursing care, to society. — Takashi Masuyama, Managing Executive Officer, Nippon Life Insurance Company
“O-Nexus is already home to more than 60 startups and over 20 operating companies and partner institutions. There are few, if any, places in Japan, where such a powerful ecosystem of industry, academia, and government collaboration can take shape. Through O-Nexus, CIC is fully committed to supporting the growth and internationalization of startups.” — Takaaki Umezawa, Chairperson, CIC Japan
The ribbon-cutting that followed featured Teruhiko Kawabata, Director of the Drug Discovery Support Office, Policy Planning Division for Pharmaceutical Industry Promotion and Medical Information Management, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Kayoko Sawada, Director for Global Alliance, Innovation and Startup Promotion Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Nobuhiko Yamaguchi, Vice Governor of Osaka Prefecture; and the Chairman of The Future Medicine Promotion Organization, who performed the ribbon-cutting together to celebrate the opening of O-Nexus.
Furthermore, Osaka Vice Governor Yamaguchi, Mr. Kawabata of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Ms. Sawada of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, delivered congratulatory remarks, expressing high expectations for the new hub.
“With the launch of O-Nexus, an innovation campus specializing in life sciences, I am confident that Nakanoshima Qross will further strengthen its role as a hub for innovation. Building on the momentum of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, the Prefecture will fully support the connection of entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers through this hub, as well as the creation of new innovation in the healthcare and life sciences fields.” — Nobuhiko Yamaguchi, Vice Governor of Osaka Prefecture
“Building a drug discovery ecosystem is important for Japan. I have great expectations that O-Nexus will provide seamless support from basic research through clinical development and practical application, and that it will serve as a key hub for bringing innovative Japanese-developed pharmaceuticals and medical devices to the world.” — Teruhiko Kawabata, Director of the Drug Discovery Support Office, Policy Planning Division for Pharmaceutical Industry Promotion and Medical Information Management, Health Policy Bureau, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
“Nurturing startups in deep tech, particularly in the life sciences, directly enhances Japan’s competitiveness. We highly anticipate that O-Nexus, established in the high-potential area of Nakanoshima, will serve as a core hub—attracting entrepreneurs and investors from both home and abroad in conjunction with this autumn’s Global Startup Expo, fostering innovation, and contributing to the world.” — Kayoko Sawada, Director for Global Alliance, Innovation and Startup Promotion Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
An Engaging Discussion on “Industrializing Future Medicine”
In the second half of the ceremony, a discussion was held on “The Industrialization of Future Medicine and the Role of O-Nexus.” The session featured three speakers: Takaaki Umezawa, Chairperson, CIC Japan; Yoshiki Sawa, Chairman of The Future Medicine Promotion Organization; and Hiroyuki Misawa, President and Managing Director, and Partner of Miyako Capital Co., Ltd.
The session began with a discussion of what is needed for Osaka and Kansai to develop as an international innovation hub for the life sciences field. Speakers emphasized the importance of building an ecosystem in which research, capital, operating companies, and government work together to support bold undertakings.
Next, the discussion turned to the challenges that new businesses from startups, large enterprises, and mid-sized companies face in achieving internationalization and scale. Participants exchanged views on structural challenges unique to Japan, including business development and fundraising geared towards global markets, as well as shortages of talent and networks.
Finally, speakers explored how universities, startups, established companies, investors, and government can collaborate to overcome these challenges. They addressed the importance of open innovation across organizations and sectors, and the role of O-Nexus in providing end-to-end support from proof of concept through commercialization.
Speakers engaged in a lively discussion from the perspectives of industry, academia, government, and investors. Mr. Sawa expressed his expectations for the hub, noting that bringing promising university technologies into real-world application requires attracting and developing talent capable of leading and growing organizations. From an investor’s perspective, Mr. Misawa emphasized that “building strong teams capable of competing globally, and fostering serendipitous encounters among diverse stakeholders, are essential.” Mr. Umezawa added that “we want to make full use of CIC’s global network to create an environment where startups in Japan can scale internationally from day one.”
The discussion highlighted the potential of O-Nexus as a hub where diverse stakeholders can come together to spark new collaborations and innovation, leaving attendees with a strong sense of excitement about the future of medicine.
To close the event, Mr. Sawa of The Future Medicine Promotion Organization delivered the closing remarks.
“A wonderful hub called O-Nexus has been created, but what has been built so far is merely a ‘box.’ It is not facilities but people who create innovation. What matters is how the people who gather here make use of this environment and take initiative. Let today be our starting point as we work together to build a new future for medicine.” — Yoshiki Sawa, Chairman, General Incorporated Foundation for the Promotion of Future Medicine
O-Nexus will leverage this opening ceremony as a launching pad for its next major leap forward. Through initiatives such as hosting the ‘Global Startup Expo’ within ‘Nakanoshima Qross’—the International Hub for Future Medicine—we are committed to driving a wave of innovation that ripples from Osaka to the rest of Japan, and ultimately across the globe.
O-Nexus Concept
Osaka Life Science Nexus (O-Nexus) by Nippon Life and CIC is a life-sciences focused innovation hub, where technologies, services, and expertise that support longer, healthier lives come together and are translated into real-world impact.
Nakanoshima, Osaka, traces its history back to the spread of Western medicine by Koan Ogata, founder of the Tekijuku academy, in the late Edo period. Since the modern era, it has been a center of Japan’s economic growth, bringing together finance, research, healthcare, and academia, and serving as a bridge between industry, technology, and society. It has supported the front lines of research, development, and manufacturing, serving as a place where decision-making and knowledge intersect, and has played an important role in Japan’s modernization and industrial development.
O-Nexus builds on the foundation Nakanoshima has cultivated as a place where people, knowledge, and capital intersect. It aims to become a leading life sciences hub that supports Japan’s next phase of growth and serves as a launchpad connecting challenges and opportunities from Japan and around the world.
Researchers, startups, large corporations, universities, medical institutions, investors, and government will come together, and through serendipitous encounters and practical collaboration, new technologies and services are created. O-Nexus is designed not as a closed research facility but as an open hub that connects society and industry. By advancing the role Nakanoshima has long played in bringing innovation into society through today’s life sciences, and by connecting the technologies and value that will support Japan’s future to the world, O-Nexus aims to serve as a key hub for innovation.
Facility Overview (3,100 m²)
- Private offices: 123 rooms (for 1 up to a maximum of 15 people) *some offices allow adjacent rooms to be connected
- Coworking space: 25 seats
- Meeting rooms: 14
- Phone booths: 13 (including 1 wheelchair-accessible booth)
Inquiries Regarding Tours
Website: https://www.o-nexus.jp/
E-mail: o-nexus@cic.com
Telephone: 070-4323-0829
To schedule a tour in English, click here.
日本語での内覧申込はこちら
