The 6th Yokohama Future Institute Management Meeting was held on Monday, December 1, 2025, in the presentation room of Yokohama Minato Mirai 21 General Incorporated Association. Many participants, primarily management from member companies, participated on the day, and lively discussions were held on the practice of open innovation and external collaboration.
Questioning "External collaboration to increase corporate value"
Keynote speech by Kazuhito Narutomi, Japan Open Innovation Research Association
In this meeting,Kazuhito Narutomi, Representative Director, Japan Open Innovation Research Associationwas invited as a guest lecturer to give a talk on the theme of "Current state of external collaboration to improve corporate value - Considering collaboration strategies in the age of co-creation."
At the beginning, Furuki, Secretary General of the Yokohama Future Institute, explained the purpose of the meeting, saying, "We are holding this management meeting with the aim of forming a network at the management level among our large corporate members and promoting innovation through management leadership." He emphasized that this meeting, now in its sixth year, is a place to get to know each other and build relationships where opinions can be exchanged freely.
After working in a technical position at a manufacturer, a management support organization, and a DX consulting firm, Mr. Narutomi joined eiicon Inc., which operates the open innovation platform "AUBA," in 2021. He has been involved in providing information and designing educational programs to help resolve management issues in the manufacturing industry, and has a track record of continuously researching advanced cases from overseas, including the United States, China, Germany, and Israel. Drawing on this extensive experience, he founded the Japan Open Innovation Research Association, a general incorporated association, and currently serves as its representative director.
The essence of open innovation and the current state of Japanese companies
The lecture began with a definition and history of open innovation. Mr. Narutomi explained, "Open innovation is a management method proposed by Henry Chesbrough in 2003. It is a concept that accelerates innovation by intentionally incorporating external capabilities, knowledge, and technology, or by sharing one's own technology and ideas with others."
However, compared to global companies, the level of open innovation among Japanese companies remains low. According to a survey, while just under 80% of Western companies with sales of over $250 million are engaged in open innovation, the figure for Japanese companies is just under 50%. Mr. Narutomi pointed out that "it should become much more widespread."
The "inverted U-curve" phenomenon: What is the optimal value for collaboration?
The speech that particularly drew attention was,Inverted U-curve phenomenonMr. Narutomi pointed out that there is an optimal "breadth" and "depth" for utilizing external knowledge, and that expanding collaboration too much can actually decrease efficiency.
According to the survey,The range of information resources should be around 8 to 11, and for deep projects, around 3 is desirable.Anything beyond that creates an "inverted U-curve" where increased coordination costs, process confusion, and information overload actually hinder results and efficiency.
"Increasing the number of partners does not necessarily lead to better results, so it is important to find the optimal balance," emphasized Naritomi.
Building an internal collaboration system determines success or failure
Furthermore, in order for open innovation to lead to results,Establishing internal systems and coordination mechanisms is essentialIt was also pointed out that
"The more successful a company is, the more it has built a system of collaboration with other departments within the company. Without a company-wide collaboration system that includes HR and finance (CFO), collaboration with other departments will be ineffective."
Although we tend to focus on collaboration with external parties, the suggestion that internal collaboration is actually the key to successful open innovation was a major realization for the participants.
The harsh reality of new businesses and the opportunity for collaboration with startups
He also offered a realistic perspective on new business development, stating that "when you look at the business scale of companies listed on growth markets, they tend to achieve sales of 3 billion yen and operating profits of 30 million yen within 10 years of launch," and stressed that in order to reach a scale that satisfies major companies, collaboration with existing businesses and the use of M&A are essential.
On the other hand,Regarding collaboration with startups, "Now is the time"He emphasized that more than 60% of large companies are collaborating with startups, and investment in startups has grown tenfold in the past decade, with fund sizes also increasing. Fundraising is also becoming larger in scale and industry concentration is also progressing overseas. However, Japan is at a stage where there is relatively more room for collaboration, and he said this is the perfect time for collaboration.
Free talking discussion by participating companies
After the lecture, there was a Q&A session and a free talking session.
Lively discussions were held on practical and specific themes such as:
● How to balance internal and external collaboration
One issue that was shared was that "the more effort is put into open innovation, the more difficult it becomes to coordinate within the company." Mr. Narutomi advised, "There can be no external collaboration without internal collaboration. The first priority is to establish an internal system." He emphasized that collaboration with back office departments such as the human resources and finance departments is particularly important, and that building a company-wide promotion system is essential.
● The challenge of non-linear growth: M&A or organic?
In response to the question, "There are limits to growth if we continue along the same lines as our existing business. How do we achieve discontinuous growth?", Mr. Narutomi replied, "Discontinuous growth through organic means (a company operating on its own) is extremely difficult. A realistic solution is to strategically combine M&A and collaboration with startups."
● Stagnant growth in new businesses: How to evaluate the 10-30 billion yen barrier
The discussion also focused on the business decision of whether to continue investing in a new business or withdraw if sales are stagnating at 10 to 30 billion yen. Mr. Narutomi suggested, "Looking at the actual growth rates of listed growth companies, they should consider accelerating growth through synergies with existing businesses and M&A. Isn't it inefficient to continue pursuing growth on its own?"
● Cultivating startup talent: From "0→1" to "10→100"
Another question was raised: "What kind of human resources and skills are needed to grow a startup or new business from the '0 to 1' phase to the '10 to 100' phase?" Narutomi replied, "Different expertise is required at each phase. In the early stages, you need an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to verify hypotheses, while in the growth phase, you need marketing and organization-building skills. A strategy that includes human resource development and external recruitment is important."
● Barriers and possibilities for collaboration with government and local governments
The discussion also touched on public-private partnerships. In response to a comment that "collaborating with local governments takes time, and the speed of decision-making doesn't match up," Mr. Narutomi said, "Local governments are also changing. In particular, an increasing number of local governments are becoming more proactive in pilot projects and open innovation. Communication is the key to building win-win relationships."
Proposal from Yokohama City: Minato Mirai's "Future Vision (tentative name)"
At the end of the discussion,Mr. Kimura, Director of the City Center Revitalization Promotion Department, Urban Development Bureau, City of YokohamaHe gave an explanation about the "(tentative name) Future Vision" for the Yokohama Minato Mirai area.
Mr. Kimura stated, "Development of the Minato Mirai area is 99% complete, and our new vision going forward is to enhance its value and create a city that attracts people and companies from all over the world," and introduced the following initiatives:
-Promoting social demonstration experiments: Use the entire town as a demonstration field
-Addressing aging infrastructure: Introduction of advanced maintenance technology
-Strengthening disaster response capabilities: Building resilient cities
-Taking on the challenge of becoming an environmentally advanced city: Achieving decarbonization and sustainability
Kimura called on the participating companies to collaborate, saying, "As we consider the future of Minato Mirai, we want to work together to create new value."
Looking ahead
This meeting was an opportunity to provide participants with hints and courage to put open innovation into practice, not just as a slogan, but as an optimal balance of internal and external collaboration, a realistic growth strategy, and value creation across the entire ecosystem.
Many participants gave positive feedback, saying things like, "The concept of the inverted U-curve was an eye-opener," "I was reminded of the importance of internal collaboration," and "The suggestion that this is an excellent opportunity for collaboration with startups was helpful."
Yokohama Future Organization will continue to provide a forum to support corporate transformation through networking among executives and sharing practical knowledge.
The next 7th Management Meeting will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026, at Yokohama Landmark Hall, and will be open to the public. We look forward to your participation.