Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to media at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo August 23, 2019. Photo: Kyodo/via REUTERS.

CTech – Over the past decade, Japanese investors have become increasingly active in Israel. More and more money from the East Asian country has been fueling the ambitions of Israeli entrepreneurs, with companies such as insurer Sompo Holdings Inc. and automaker Mitsubishi Corp. becoming routine participants in startups’ funding rounds. Toyota and e-commerce company Rakuten Inc. are just two of the Japanese companies that have recently announced their intent to scout for talent and technology in Israel.

Earlier this year, Japanese company Toshiba Corp. opened an innovation outpost in Tel Aviv. The goal of the local office is to scout for local cybersecurity technologies to secure Toshiba’s renewable energy products, such as solar panels and wind turbines, Hirofumi “Hiro” Mori, general manager of Toshiba’s Tel Aviv office, told Calcalist Tuesday.