Mishio Yuko: CEO of Impact Hub Tokyo

In Tokyo, there’s an old print factory that doesn’t print in bulk anymore. That old factory is now known as Impact Hub Tokyo—a vibrant co-working and incubation space that serves as a base camp for entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers, and artists. We interviewed Yuko Mishio, CEO, for her insights into the company, her work around the globe, and her goal of fostering the next generation of change-makers.

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us about your background?

My name is Yuko Mishio. I’m from Japan and grew up here. After graduating from high school, I went abroad to study, where I spent about five years around Europe–three in Finland, one in France, and one in Germany. In each country, I was involved in volunteer work or internships at community-oriented spaces.

I spent my year in Paris as part of the Erasmus exchange program. I interned at a community and incubation space called Singa, and it had a huge impact on me. It supports refugee and local entrepreneurs by helping asylum seekers launch businesses, become independent, and integrate into society.

After that, I returned to Finland, completed my degree, and then moved to Berlin for a working holiday. I did an internship at an art gallery and volunteered at Impact Hub Berlin. Since Impact Hub is a global network, I discovered that Impact Hub Tokyo existed and had a job opening. I applied and decided to return to Japan.

It’s been about five years since I started working here, taking on the role of CEO last July.

Could you tell us about Impact HUB Tokyo?

Impact Hub Tokyo is a co-working space and community, and then we also have Communita cafe which is an open community for both the users of Impact Hub Tokyo and the residents around here.

The co-working space is a membership-based service, and on the second floor, we have a private office which we rent to tenants and companies. For the cafe, we launched it in 2023 and are also renting the kitchen space for the food entrepreneurs who don't have restaurants and are trying to explore their food business.

Recently, we’ve welcomed many artists and hosted workshops. I’m currently working on launching an artist-in-residence program that supports artists through both space and programming. We aim to apply our entrepreneurial expertise to help artists develop sustainable careers—not just through a traditional residency model, but by creating an incubation-style residency program.

Why did you choose to work in Japan?

I have a partner from Finland, and we are open to living anywhere to be honest! However, back then [when I lived in Finland], people expected me to know about the business culture in Japan, and I noticed that I didn't know anything about it. To become a bridge between Japan and elsewhere, I needed to know a bit more about how business works here.

I come from an artistic background—my parents are artists, so I was always surrounded by a creative environment. I grew up seeing artists embracing their careers but also struggling, especially in Japan, where being an artist is not widely recognized as a legitimate profession. People often assume that artists pursue art because they have money and time, but that’s not the case. To me, artists are similar to entrepreneurs. They question society, express ideas, and inspire people to think and act.

Have you experienced any advantages of starting a business in Japan or any unexpected surprises about the business environment in Tokyo?

To be honest, starting up a business in Japan is becoming a huge advantage for many people in terms of flexibility around taxes.Part of the reason is that we have fewer young people and less local talent.

I also think Japan is really structured. Even though some people complain about some rules, honestly, all the rules work well. I say that because I've experienced abroad when some basic things don't work, and you need to fight for them, and it makes you feel exhausted.

But I know that the decision-making process and the business culture in Japan can be very slow. The decision-making process has just too many layers, and I think we are not equipped to make a fast decision compared to the U.S., for example.

What’s your vision for the future, both you and Impact Hub?

Now that I took this role as CEO, I really love the struggle we have here. I know this space is really old. We always have issues with the building. But then that's part of what makes it interesting! The goal is to create a space for artists and change-makers, so when opportunity arrives it creates an immediate turning point. That's always the vision for me.

This is going to be my second year as CEO, and to be honest, I think it's a really unique position at my age in Japan because the founders are in their 40s. I'm young but I know that I have a unique background. I really want to utilize this opportunity to maximize the position I am in.

What principles or values do you consider important?

Being resilient to change is so important because people are afraid to change most of the time, and personally, to be resilient to change is key in going forward, and I don't want to get stuck in one idea or one place.

I joined the company at the end of 2019 and in 4 months, COVID-19 happened. Many coworking spaces decided to close because, well, it doesn’t make sense as a business. However, we wanted to take this as an opportunity to change the operation. That's what I was actually in charge of—the whole operation change.

Before COVID-19, we had a very vibrant community with many more people. However, I'm not trying to bring back how it used to be because it's completely changed. I think the vibe of the community here is gradually coming back, but in a different way compared to before.

You can't possibly bring back what it used to be. I need to keep thinking about what I want in the future and be resilient to whatever change comes. That might make you encounter something more interesting or innovative.

Could you give some advice to Blackbox readers and entrepreneurs?

I hope that taking risks and trying to be yourself can be normalized – you don't have to be scared to do entrepreneurship. That's also what I'm trying to do here. You might encounter opportunities that you never expected by being in a safe space. Many entrepreneurs I’ve met here have gone through so many different paths, and for them, being entrepreneurs is a way of life, especially for younger generations.

Find what you want to do, and do it with passion, especially if it's about changing society or challenging society, questioning society. I think taking action is the key to success.

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