Member

Hironobu Azuma received Master of Engineering in Electrical and Information Engineering from the Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University in 2006, and joined JRI the same year.
In February 2016, Mr. Azuma launched the Incubation & Innovation Initiative (III), a cross-industry business consortium designed to promote innovation by supporting the commercialization of advanced technologies and business ideas that underpin Japan’s national growth strategy. He currently serves as its Representative and overall coordinator.
He is actively involved in supporting startups, promoting open innovation, driving university reform and digital transformation (DX), and advancing Smart City and Digital Garden City initiatives. His efforts are characterized by multi-stakeholder collaboration among the public, private, academic, financial, and civic sectors.
Additionally, he has served in various external roles, including as a government committee member and mayoral fellow for several local governments, such as Hamamatsu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, Tomakomai City, Kashihara City, and Onomichi City.
[Government and Institutional Roles]
• Supervisor, Osaka Pavilion Promotion Committee for Expo 2025, Osaka (FY2021–)
• Sub-Program Director, Cabinet Office, Strategic Innovation Promotion Program 3rd Period: Platform Development for Post-COVID Learning and Working Styles (FY2023–)
• Committee Member, Subcommittee on the Program for Strengthening Innovation Creating Ecosystems at Regional Core Universities, CSTI/BRIDGE Evaluation Committee, Cabinet Office (FY2023–)
• Recommendation Committee Member, J-Startup Program
• Working Group 3 Member, Study Group for Industrial Cybersecurity, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (FY2018–)
• Technical Committee Member at NEDO (FY2017-), Technology Management Advisor (FY2023-), and NEP Exploration Course Supervisor (FY2023-)
• Advisor, JST Co-Creation Program (COI-NEXT) (FY2023–)
• Committee Member, Working Group on Smart Cities, Promotion Council on ICT-Based Urban Development, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (FY2016–)
• Evaluator, VC & Project Evaluation Committees, AMED Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem (FY2022–)
• Committee Member, Special Committee on Smart Cities, The City Planning Institute of Japan (FY2020–)
• Advisor, Japan Startup Support Association (FY2016–)
• Board Member, Japan PFI/PPP Association (FY2018–)
• Executive Board Member, Japan Smartphone Security Association (JSSEC) (FY2012–)