The FII PRIORITY Asia Summit has wrapped up in Tokyo after two days of intensive strategic dialogue that brought together more than 1,200 global leaders, including heads of government, top CEOs, investors, and innovators.
Okay News reports that the summit focused on how Asia, led by Japan’s economic and technological momentum, is redefining global systems across finance, diplomacy, and innovation.
Held under the theme “The New Asia,” the gathering featured over 40 sessions spanning plenaries, expert labs, and closed-door high-level engagements, examining the region’s accelerating growth, evolving investment partnerships, and leadership in emerging technologies.
Opening the summit, Richard Attias, Chairman of the Executive Committee and Acting CEO of the FII Institute, emphasized Asia’s expanding global influence.
“Asia is the gravitational center of the global economy, and Japan stands at its heart, guiding the region with resilience, creativity, and wisdom,” he said.
Tokyo Governor H.E. Yuriko Koike positioned Japan’s capital as a global gateway for investment and innovation, declaring, “Tokyo is the perfect global investment hub,” while highlighting the city’s strengths in finance, technology, and sustainable development.
Japan’s new administration also presented a coordinated strategy to boost outward-looking economic growth. Delivering her first FII keynote, Prime Minister H.E. Sanae Takaichi outlined the country’s next phase of global engagement:
“The Takaichi Cabinet seeks to position Japanese diplomacy at the center of global dialogue by working closely with like-minded nations.”
She added that Japan aims to raise growth potential and reinforce global trust in its fiscal stability.
Finance Minister H.E. Satsuki Katayama announced new investment frameworks targeting quantum technologies, space, and innovation-heavy industries. Leaders of Japan’s major banks echoed this outlook.
Akihiro Fukutome, President and 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, stressed the need for large-scale innovation financing, asserting, “We need technology that delivers affordable power at scale, and we require financing to meet our net-zero ambition.”
In a key bilateral dialogue, H.E. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), joined Masahiro Kihara, President and Group CEO of Mizuho Financial Group, to highlight the deepening economic ties between Saudi Arabia and Japan.
Al-Rumayyan emphasized Asia’s importance:
“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.”
The summit also spotlighted Japan’s global leadership in gaming culture. In a fireside conversation, H.R.H. Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, discussed the industry’s influence with Haruki Satomi, Group CEO of SEGA SAMMY.
Prince Faisal remarked, “Gaming is a powerful cultural export. Films and books are passive, but games are experienced in first person.”
Intimate labs throughout the summit examined health innovation, asset management, cross-border financial systems, AI safety, and frontier technologies. A dedicated AI, Deep Tech & Vanguard Lab convened scientists and investors shaping breakthroughs that position Asia as a global center for advanced research.
During a geopolitical panel, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Abdullah Fahad Bin Zarah, alongside former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Richard Attias, addressed the world’s shifting balance of power. Bin Zarah said,
“Economic interdependence reached an unprecedented height in modern history. Saudi has chosen to convert stability and investment into real global reach. What we have seen today is that Saudi offers both a source of stability and of capital at a time when the world needs both.”
The summit closed with a landmark conversation between Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., and Richard Attias on the future of the Asian century and the rise of intelligent technologies.
Son expressed optimism about the evolution of artificial intelligence, stating,
“When AI becomes so smart, there’s no reason for that super intelligence to be harmful to humans.”
