Tokyo, Japan – December 2, 2025 – The FII PRIORITY Asia Summit concluded in Tokyo after two days of high-level strategic dialogue, convening over 1,200 global leaders, policymakers, CEOs, investors, and innovators to examine how Japan and the broader Asian region are reshaping global economic, technological, and diplomatic systems.
The summit featured more than 40 sessions across plenaries, thematic labs, and closed-door conclaves. Under the banner “The New Asia,” the 1,200 participants explored the region’s growth trajectory, technological frontier, and new investment alliances.
Opening the summit, Richard Attias, Chairman of the Executive Committee & Acting CEO of the FII Institute, underscored Japan’s pivotal global role: “Asia is the gravitational center of the global economy, and Japan stands at its heart, guiding the region with resilience, creativity, and wisdom.”
H.E. Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo, reaffirmed the city’s position as a gateway to global markets: “Tokyo is the perfect global investment hub,” highlighting its leadership in resilient finance, innovation, cultural vitality, and sustainable urban systems.
Japan’s newly formed government outlined a unified vision for an outward looking, innovation powered, investment driven economy. Prime Minister H.E. Sanae Takaichi, in her first FII address, articulated Japan’s diplomatic and fiscal direction: “The Takaichi Cabinet seeks to position Japanese diplomacy at the center of global dialogue by working closely with like-minded nations.” She emphasized plans to raise Japan’s economic growth potential and reinforce global confidence in its public finances.
H.E. Satsuki Katayama, Minister of Finance, detailed Japan’s shift toward innovation-led growth: “Japan has introduced a new investment framework for strategic sectors, including quantum technology and space.” This message was echoed by Japan’s leading financial institutions.
Akihiro Fukutome, President & CEO of SMBC Group, noted: “Japan has built a legacy of technological resilience and now stands at the frontier of demographic, climate, and digital transformation.”
Kanetsugu Mike, Chairman of MUFG, emphasized the scale of the opportunity ahead: “We need technology that delivers affordable power at scale, and we require financing to meet our net-zero ambition.”
In a wide-ranging conversation, H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FII Institute, highlighted the depth of Saudi–Japan economic ties with Masahiro Kihara, President & Group CEO of Mizuho Financial Group, Al-Rumayyan assured: “Asia represents far more to us than energy and agriculture. It’s where most of the innovations in the world are initiated, and we want to have better ties with Asia and better procurement processes between us.”
Gaming, one of Japan’s most influential creative industries—took center stage in a fireside dialogue between H.R.H. Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, and Haruki Satomi, President & Group CEO, SEGA SAMMY Holdings. Prince Faisal described gaming’s cultural weight: “Gaming is a powerful cultural export. Films and books are passive, but games are experienced in first person.”
Over the two days, intimate labs explored health innovation, asset management, cross-border finance, and next-generation technologies. A dedicated AI, Deep Tech & Venture Vanguard Lab brought together frontier scientists, inventors, and investors to assess how Asia is becoming a global center for breakthrough innovation.
In the afternoon, H.E. Abdullah Fahad Bin Zarah, Deputy Minister for Economic and Development Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Saudi Arabia, Senator and former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, and Richard Attias examined shifting global power dynamics, new capital flows, and evolving geopolitical alliances. As Bin Zarah noted: “Economic interdependence has reached heights unprecedented in modern history. The Kingdom has chosen to convert stability and investment into real global reach. What we have seen today is that Saudi Arabia offers both a source of stability and of capital at a time when the world needs both.”
The summit concluded with a much-anticipated conversation between Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., and Richard Attias on the future of the Asian century, AI-driven, globally interlinked, and rich with opportunity. Son expressed optimism about the future of artificial intelligence: “When AI becomes so smart, there’s no reason for that super intelligence to be harmful to humans.”
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