Japan’s academic entrepreneurship has been on the rise in the last 20 years. Recognising the importance of academic entrepreneurship in the strategic management of the national innovation ecosystem, and under international pressure to modernize it university technological transfer policy, Japan has invested massively in nurturing university ventures. One of the latest initiatives includes a trillion yen, five-year start-up plan announced by the Kishida Cabinet in 2022. Yet, studies on Japan's entrepreneurial ecosystem and the real-life situation of academic ventures remain scarce. This study aims to investigate how university ventures are faring in Japan and evaluate the entrepreneurial ecosystem using four systemic conditions: Finance, Talent and Knowledge; Support services; Network and Leadership. We used a survey method, collecting 115 responses from academic ventures, combined with additional primary and secondary data collection. Data from analysis of official government documents and our survey reveal that while Japan recognises the importance of academic entrepreneurs in technology transfer, leading to increased support for strategic management of university research, yet the accessibility of such support remains limited, as shown by survey data. Overall, the Japanese government policies appear to take into consideration the importance of nurturing an entrepreneurial ecosystem, yet the effectiveness of policies enforcing its systemic conditions requires evaluation. We then propose research questions that need further investigation: What factors influence the accessibility of government academic entrepreneurs support programs? To what extent are existing university ventures aware of available supporting resources? How effective are the existing policies and programs regarding academic venture support compare to its Asian neighbor and international best practices?
