“Japan has implemented a range of policies designed to support overseas startups and these include substantial subsidies for research and development,” said Yuya Makino, Japan’s Guangzhou consulate-general, during the event. That’s the big thing that we’re starting to see in Japan,” Akio Tanaka, partner at investment firm Headline VC, told the audience. With the use of ventilating soundproofing material from Fujifilm, Japan’s air-conditioner manufacturer managed to reduce operating noises of its products by over 20%. Tokyo-headquartered chemical maker Asahi Kasei presented a new optical transparent resin called AZP, which has optical characteristics not possible with existing transparent resins. It is widely expected to serve as a next-generation material that can take the place of optical glass.