JETRO and the Osaka-Kyoto-Hyogo-Kobe Consortium invited five global venture capital firms to the Kansai region from January 26-30, 2026, and hosted the "Global VC Meetup beyond EXPO" in Osaka on January 29. The international VCs praised Kansai's strengths in patent numbers and deep tech concentration, visiting Kyoto University and the Kobe Medical Industry City. The Kobe Medical Industry City, Japan's largest medical and healthcare cluster with concentrated medical institutions, research facilities, and companies, saw seven organizations including Kobe City and Mitsubishi Corporation sign collaboration agreements in January 2026 to strengthen the ecosystem. Post-expo, foreign investor interest continues to develop into investments and joint research projects.