Progress Report on Japan–Global South Co-Creation
Overview
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published the Japan–Global South Co-Creation Progress Report 2026, summarizing the progress and outcomes of 464 projects across 81 countries supported in fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The report organizes projects by region, field, and use case; includes a catalog of all projects and 36 cases with significant progress; and presents factors needed for commercialization. It also announces the schedule for the second application round of the FY2025 supplementary subsidy program.
Key points
- Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published the Japan–Global South Co-Creation Progress Report 2026.
- The report covers 464 projects across 81 countries supported in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
- It presents 36 cases that showed particularly significant progress.
- The second subsidy application round specifies application periods for small-scale demonstration and feasibility study projects, and for large-scale demonstration projects.
Overview
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is implementing the Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Program to strengthen cooperation with the Global South, which it considers to have growth potential and importance for economic security.
The program has allocated a budget of approximately 150 billion yen per fiscal year from fiscal 2023 through fiscal 2025 to support co-creation projects between Japanese companies and local partners. It aims to promote growth on both sides through resolving social challenges and growing local industries, as well as helping Japanese companies enter new markets, strengthen supply chains, and generate innovation.
The report was published to advance the commercialization and wider deployment of supported projects and to spur the creation of new co-creation projects.
Details
The report organizes the covered projects by region, field, and use case, making the program portfolio visible.
The outcomes are organized in terms of contributions to the development of Global South countries, diplomacy by heads of state and ministers, and the growth of Japanese companies, highlighting benefits for both sides. A regional and use case catalog lists all projects, while 36 cases are described with progress and benefits for both sides, alongside quantitative indicators and comments from stakeholders in partner countries.
Interviews with projects showing progress were used to identify factors needed for commercialization. The report presents these as practical insights that Japanese companies seeking commercialization or wider deployment can apply to their future business development in local markets.
The subsidy supports initiatives such as GX/DX that draw on the strengths of Japanese and local companies to resolve social challenges. It also supports demonstration projects leading to crisis-management investments that contribute to supply chain resilience and economic security.
For the second application round of the FY2025 supplementary subsidy, applications for small-scale demonstration and feasibility study projects open at 12:00 on October 2, 2026, and close at 12:00 on October 23. Applications for large-scale demonstration projects in ASEAN and non-ASEAN regions are scheduled to open at 12:00 on December 14, 2026, and close at 12:00 on January 22, 2027.