Tuesday, October 14, 2025 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Regency Room, Royal Hawaiian Hotel

Hosted by the U.S.-Japan Council (USJC) in collaboration with the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR), this invitation-only roundtable convenes leaders in the relevant fields from government, industry, and the startup ecosystem to explore the future of dual-use innovation in the Indo-Pacific.

Dual-use technologies—those with both civilian and defense applications—are increasingly central to addressing today’s interconnected security and economic challenges. Hawai‘i is uniquely positioned as a platform for U.S.–Japan collaboration in this field:

• Hawaii, a U.S. location at the strategic heart of the Pacific
• Home to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM)
• A cultural and operational bridge between the United States and Japan
• A growing hub for international innovation partnerships

Through initiatives such as PICHTR’s J-StarX Dual-Use Track with METI and JETRO (a Japan government–backed program helping promising startups expand internationally), Hawai‘i has become both a supportive launch point for Japanese startups and a co-development partner for technologies advancing resilience and security.

This roundtable will explore the central question:
Why Hawai‘i? How can Japanese startups and U.S./Hawai‘i-based partners—startups, primes, and public-sector actors—collaborate through Hawai‘i to jointly advance dual-use innovation and strengthen the Indo-Pacific?

Selected speakers/panelists (highlights; additional speakers to be announced): Norihiko Ishiguro (Chairman, JETRO HQ); Andrew Ogawa (USJC & PICHTR Board Member; Moderator); Robert Sholtis (U.S. INDOPACOM); James Tokioka (Director, DBEDT).