The CiP Digital Special Zone “Business Location and Government Cooperation”

The CiP (Contents Innovation Program) is a plan to construct a digital and content zone in the bay area of Minato Ward, Tokyo. Here is the final launch announcement.

5) “Business Location and Government Cooperation”

The intentions and ideas of directors and members bear great responsibility for business startup support and business matching. Since the CiP community traverses the business world, it can be expected to generate cooperative businesses that engage in information exchange. First we must enliven these community functions.

Further, CiP can be expected to support business startups by matching entrepreneurs with investors.

Already, the Cool Japan initiative went outside of government funds for industry innovation and began the exchange of ideas between financial institutions and civilians. At the current stage, we are proceeding to investment consideration by companies and private investors proactive in content and IT fields. It is also probable that the CiP itself will bring funds together.

We will also network with salons, events, subcommittees, and such to form concrete business matching programs. For instance, with The Association of Japanese Animations at the center, we are currently moving forward with plans to match the animation business world and other business worlds. The CiP will work with and expand such situations.

We also want to try to cooperate with the government and local governments. Thus, we are currently exchanging ideas about joining with the Office of the Prime Minister; the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters Cabinet Secretariat; the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry; and Tokyo. Most importantly, Takeshiba has been ranked as a national strategy special zone, and we want to bring insight and ideas to the government and execute projects that could not be previously realized in Japan.

There are many ideas for the special zone. For example, is it not possible, as a copyright special zone, to create an open public archive and market? Or, as a radio wave special zone, is it not possible to carry out consolidated experiments in transmissions and broadcasting? Or as an electronic signage special zone, is it not possible to undo restrictions on outdoor demonstrations and make the entire surface area into a large-scale film screen? As a drone special zone, there could be automatically operating drones and robots; as a superhuman sports zone, there could be cyborg competitions. We want to try to implement all of this.

Further, the Korean government established the “Contents Korea Lab” and is implementing the cultivation of human resource content and business support with national expenditures. On the other hand, CiP has industry-academic cooperation plans, but is currently arranging for financial government support. It will be considered if public finance measures are required for the project base.

CiP will make a place in which to enact all of these things. We are cementing plans to construct a 39-floor business building area in a 1.5ha (161459 sq. ft.) space, with a 8,000 m² (86111 sq. ft.) joint-use facility of labs and classrooms, concert halls, and studios. We are also arranging an 800㎡ community area therein for the CiP Convention. The separate pre-existing “Industry and Trade Center” will also continue to exist. An office will be placed atop it.

The area will be completed in early 2020. There will be a five-year duration of the project following its commencement. In that time the CiP Convention will zealously advance projects. Activity will begin in 2015, the town will be opened in 2020, and it will be domestically and internationally transmitted in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

After the town opening, we also want to attract international and domestic players and R&D organizations to make the zone a place of global interest.