The evening commenced with the welcome by Ambassador Roger Dubach, who emphasized the importance of bringing together the two countries in the field of quantum at this early stage when the ecosystem is in the making. His remarks were followed by a presentation on Swiss excellence in the quantum research and university spin-offs by Ms. Kyoko Marumo Suzuki, Head of the Science & Technology Office Tokyo at the Embassy of Switzerland, who invited the high-level participants to the Swiss Quantum Week in Geneva, in October 2025.

Mr. Marius Almstedt, Director Strategy & Growth of QAI Ventures, presented his company which is a global leader in quantum & AI ecosystem building from Switzerland, he outlined the critical role of international collaboration in translating quantum research into market-ready solutions and introduced QAI Ventures’ efforts to connect ambitious leaders from Switzerland, Japan and beyond. With a mission to build a dynamic quantum community supported by world-class academic institutions and innovative industry partnerships, one of the company’s recent milestones includes the establishment of QAI Ventures’ presence in Japan with the support of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). The Swiss accelerator already has a location in Calgary, Canada. The Tokyo team will further strengthen QAI Ventures’ network now spanning in Europe, Americas and Asia.

The interest and concentration of the audience continued to rise with the high-level panel discussion that followed, featuring Mr. Taro Shimada, CEO of Toshiba & Chairman of Q-Star, Dr. Masahiro Horibe, Deputy Director of the Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI technology (G-QuAT) and Ms. Alexandra Beckstein, CEO of QAI Ventures who shared insights on industry-government-academia partnerships. The discussion, moderated by Mr. Hiro Nishiguchi, President of Startup Genome Japan, shed light on the importance of openness, shared expertise, and global participation by various players to unlock the full potential of quantum science and technology. The panelists also expressed their excitement for the future developments of quantum computing.

The evening concluded with a networking reception kickstarted with a toast given by Mr. Keiichi Yoshimura, Head of Start-up Strategy, Tokyo Metropolitan Government who expressed support for strong innovation partnerships.

As the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology continues, the event at the Swiss Residence exemplified the proactive steps Switzerland and Japan are taking to build a global quantum ecosystem.

Last month, high-level meetings were held in Tokyo including between Switzerland’s Federal Councilor for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ignazio Cassis and his counterparts at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) during which both governments confirmed their mutual interest in enhancing innovation partnerships. Also in April, the 6^th Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation between the two countries highlighted quantum science as one of the key focuses.

Recently, on May 18, 2025, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) inaugurated its new headquarters building for the G-QuAT in Tsukuba, in the presence of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, METI Minister Yoji Muto and other leading experts, marking a significant step in Japan’s quantum strategy.  Established in 2023, G-QuAT aims to accelerate the industrial application of quantum and AI technologies by providing state-of-the-art research facilities and fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and government.

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