Malaysia-Japan Economic Relations Evolving, Increasingly Towards Co-Creation - MIDA
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia–Japan economic relations are evolving, increasingly towards co-creation, with Malaysian companies participating as suppliers, partners, and solution providers within regional and global value chains.
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) chief executive officer Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid said partnerships are no longer just about large corporations investing and operating independently.
He emphasised that this approach is not limited to Malaysia, with opportunities for collaboration that extend across ASEAN and Asia, strengthening regional ecosystems while supporting Japan’s broader co-creation vision with ASEAN.
“This direction is reinforced through the MIDA– Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) memorandum of cooperation signed back in October 2025, which provides a structured framework to move from engagement to pilots to investment and scale,” he said in his opening remarks at the Japan-ASEAN Fast Track Pitch Initiative today.
The initiative, launched in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN friendship and cooperation, aims to foster open innovation and co-creation through collaboration between Japanese and ASEAN enterprises.
“Back in 2023, we hosted the Malaysia-Japan Digital Exchange Pitch at MIDA in collaboration with Jetro. That event demonstrated the potential of structured pitching programmes to generate impactful collaborations, and today our collaboration has taken another step forward under the Japan–ASEAN Fast Track Pitch Initiative.
“More importantly, platforms like these allow MIDA to assume a supportive, proactive and visible role — lending endorsement to initiatives that promote innovation-driven partnerships and highlighting Malaysia as a credible hub for technology and entrepreneurship,” he added.
Sikh Shamsul said a key focus moving forward involves deep technology startups in areas such as advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, materials, climate solutions, and industrial digitalisation.
These ventures, he emphasised, may take longer to develop, but they deliver a profound impact.
“These are precisely the technologies needed to support multinational corporations (MNCs), strengthen supply chains, and upgrade industries, aligning with the goals of the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030,” he said.
Sikh Shamsul pointed out that Malaysia is nurturing a broader spectrum of innovation.
“Startups across digital solutions, sustainability, smart mobility, and industry-specific applications are also critical to our ecosystem.
“Together, they create scalable solutions, drive industrial upgrading, and reinforce competitiveness. That is why startups must be nurtured and facilitated, not in isolation, but as part of a wider industrial ecosystem that includes corporates, investors, and research institutions,” he added.
-- BERNAMA