EU Business Hub @ Medical Japan 2027 Tokyo

Are you active in the healthcare and medical equipment sector and seeking business, technology, or collaboration opportunities in Japan? In May 2027, the European Union Delegation to Japan, through the EU Business Hub programme, invites European SMEs and startups to join the Medical Japan Business Mission 2027. The mission offers a valuable opportunity to explore the Japanese market, meet potential business and technology partners, and showcase European healthcare solutions.

The European Union will support up to 50 European SMEs and startups to attend Medical Japan 2027 Tokyo, taking place at Tokyo Big Sight. The mission combines participation in a dedicated EU-Japan Healthcare and Medical Equipment Partnering Event in Tokyo with attendance at Medical Japan 2027, one of Japan’s leading healthcare exhibitions, held annually since 2015. At the EU Business Hub booth, a dedicated team of professional interpreters will be available to support participating European companies and facilitate communication with Japanese counterparts.

Target audience

European SMEs and stratups active in the healthcare and medical equipment sector, particularly those seeking business, technology or collaboration opportunities in Japan, including:

• Medical devices and equipment
• Diagnostic and imaging technologies
• Digital health
• AI applications in healthcare
• Telemedicine and remote patient monitoring
• Healthcare IoT and smart medical systems
• Elderly care technologies and services
• Rehabilitation and assistive technologies

Business operators in Japan

The mission will provide opportunities to connect with Japanese and international stakeholders, including:

• Potential business and technology partners
• Prospective clients and healthcare operators
• Industry stakeholders
• R&D and innovation partners
• Other relevant healthcare and medical equipment organisations

Overview of the business mission

The business mission in Tokyo will last 5 days in total, including three days of dedicated business matchmaking and networkng at Medical Japan 2027 Tokyo, a business reception and many more activities and services. 

The business mission agenda is as follows:

• Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo and welcome gathering.
• Day 2: Briefing session with sectoral experts, EU-Japan Healthcare and Medical Equipment Partnering Event and study visit.
• Day 3: Medical Japan 2027 and networking reception (TBC).
• Day 4: Medical Japan 2027.
• Day 5: Medical Japan 2027 and debriefing session.

Services/benefits for the EU participants

• Business matchmaking resulting in pre-arranged in-person meetings with carefully selected Japanese companies, as well as on-site coaching support for business meetings with relevant counterparts who express interest during the event.
• Market intelligence including sectoral briefings providing valuable insights into the Japanese healthcare market and potential business opportunities.
• Cultural and linguistic support such as briefings on doing business in Japan, together with professional interpretation and translation support.
• Financial support of up to €1,000 to benefit from a menu of additional customised services co-funded by the project, such as translation, printing and legal advice.
• Hotel accommodation for four nights at Hilton Tokyo Odaiba, with up to €1,000 in accommodation costs covered by the programme.
• Coverage of the exhibition fee at Medical Japan 2027.
• EU Business Hub booth presence, providing participating companies with exhibition and partnering space during Medical Japan 2027.
• Dedicated coaching support to help companies prepare and arrange tailored 1-to-1 meetings with Japanese counterparts.
• Networking opportunities through a dedicated networking event with Japanese and international stakeholders.

Key market insights 

Participating in EU Business Hub @ Medical Japan 2027 Tokyo represents a unique opportunity for European SMEs and startups because of Japan's large healthcare market, ageing population, advanced technology ecosystem and growing demand for innovative healthcare solutions.

Market size

• Japan remains one of the world’s most attractive healthcare markets, supported by a rapidly ageing population and rising long-term demand for medical and care services.
• People aged 65 and over already account for 29.4% of Japan's population in 2025, and this share is projected to rise to around 35% by 2040, when Japan's elderly population is expected to reach its peak.
• At the same time, public medical and long-term-care expenditure is projected to increase substantially, reaching approximately JPY 80–90 trillion by 2040. This reinforces the need for greater productivity, preventive care and healthcare system efficiency.
• Against this backdrop, recent market estimates indicate that the Japanese medical device market is expected to expand by USD 17.38 billion between 2024 and 2029, at a CAGR of 7.1%. Longer-term forecasts point to growth from USD 43.86 billion in 2022 to USD 94.23 billion by 2032.

Demand is especially supported by:

• Diagnostic devices, including imaging and non-invasive diagnostics.
• Therapeutic devices, particularly minimally invasive technologies.
• Monitoring and homecare devices, including portable and remote patient monitoring solutions.
• AI-enabled tools that improve clinical workflow and operational efficiency.

Japan is therefore not only a large and technologically advanced market, but also one where demographic and cost pressures are accelerating demand for practical innovation.

Regulatory environment

• Japan's regulatory environment for digital health and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) has become more structured and supportive of innovation.
• The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) continues to advance DASH for SaMD 2, while the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) strengthened its dedicated SaMD review organisation in July 2024.
• Current policy developments include expanded consultation support, continued priority-review trials for program medical devices, and a two-step approval concept for certain diagnostic and therapeutic software products.
• Japan is also beginning to shape its approach to generative AI-enabled medical devices and software cybersecurity requirements.

For foreign digital health companies, these developments create a clearer pathway into the Japanese market, particularly in areas such as:

• AI-assisted diagnostics
• Remote patient monitoring
• Home-use digital therapeutics
• Data-driven healthcare solutions
• Other software-based healthcare technologies

These developments align with Japan's broader shift towards data-driven and preventive care.

Commitment to advanced healthcare

• Japan continues to reinforce healthcare innovation through national policy and coordinated R&D implementation.
• The Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) plays a central role in linking government strategy, integrated research projects, translational development and commercialisation support.
• National priority areas include:
  • Medical devices and healthcare
  • Regenerative medicine
  • Cell and gene therapy
  • Data utilisation and life-course health
  • Bridge research and clinical acceleration
  • Innovation ecosystem development

These priorities are consistent with the government's wider focus on improving healthcare quality, increasing healthy life expectancy and making more effective use of health data across healthcare and long-term care systems.

Main sources of untapped potential

• Some of the most attractive growth opportunities lie in solutions that help Japan respond to ageing, workforce shortages and the growing need for prevention.
• Government policy is increasingly focused on extending healthy life expectancy, promoting health check-ups and enabling broader use of healthcare and long-term-care data through the nationwide Medical DX initiative.
• This creates opportunities for European SMEs and startups offering:
  • Wearable and IoT-based monitoring tools
  • Personalised digital health and prevention platforms
  • AI-based workflow support and risk-screening tools
  • Solutions supporting homecare and chronic disease management
  • Population health and data-driven healthcare solutions

Japan's employer-based health check-up culture and strong public interest in prevention also create favourable conditions for early screening, behaviour-change support and data-driven health management services.

For European SMEs and startups, the strongest opportunity is therefore not simply to sell standalone devices, but to provide scalable solutions that improve prevention, productivity and continuity of care across hospitals, homecare and community settings.

Discover the business mission and apply by 29 January 2027!

Join the EU Business Hub @ Medical Japan 2027 Tokyo and explore new business, technology and collaboration opportunities in Japan's healthcare market.

Find out more 

https://eubusinesshub.eu/

• [1] Source: Technavio – Japan Medical Devices Market Size 2025–2029

• [2] Source: Spherical Insights – Japan Medical Device Market Size, Share, Forecast 2022–2032

• [3] Source: MHLW – DASH for SaMD 2 and medical device regulatory policy materials

• [4] Source: AMED – Overview and Budget FY2026