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What We Can Learn from the Junglila Debate about Creating Local Industries
This newsletter will bring you the latest updates from Shinryo Fund, as well as startup trends in Asia (particularly Okinawa and Taiwan), all from an Okinawan perspective.
Hello, this is Kenichiro Toyosato from FOURSEAS / SHINRYO Fund.
Exactly one month ago, on July 25th, Junglila opened in Okinawa.
Since then, a wide range of opinions has been circulating online.
At the moment, it’s undeniable that negative voices stand out the most.
It’s only natural that some visitors felt the experience was not what they expected, and that they shared those impressions.
Such honest voices should be seen as valuable feedback for Junglila to improve in the future.
But when I come across comments that go beyond that—statements like “It will never succeed anyway” or “Okinawa doesn’t need Junglila”—I can’t help but feel uneasy.
Among the people around me, the prevailing sentiment is actually, “We want Junglila to succeed.”
Yet, critical opinions tend to attract more attention online.
If that atmosphere takes root, it could prevent projects that might have succeeded from reaching their potential.
It might even extinguish the sparks of new challenges that could have been born in Okinawa’s future.
Out of this vague but real sense of crisis, I want to use this article to share my thoughts on the meaning of Junglila as a challenge, and on the factors needed to make new challenges in Okinawa succeed.
The Challenge of Junglila
The land where Junglila now stands used to be a golf course operated by Orion Beer.
On this green land, the developers planted more than 30,000 additional trees.
Their vision was not to use the land in a way that harms the environment, but to contribute to local industry while being mindful of the local community.
It was in response to that aspiration that Katana (the company led by Tsuyoshi Morioka) stepped forward.
Katana, being a startup itself, faced extremely difficult fundraising conditions, especially amid the pandemic.
Yet, with local financial institutions and companies taking on real risks, they managed to raise a total of 70 billion yen over four years.
From my own experience fundraising for Shinryo Fund, I know how difficult it is to raise capital when you have no finished product and limited information to present.
From that perspective, the fact that Junglila managed to raise such a massive sum from the regional economy despite all these constraints is truly remarkable.
Even more groundbreaking is that this was a private sector–driven initiative in Okinawa, a region where projects often depend heavily on subsidies.
But this is not the first large-scale project supported by local companies.
There is precedent: Okinawa Cellular.
The Possibility Shown by Okinawa Cellular
The origins of Okinawa Cellular trace back to the establishment of the Okinawa Konwakai in 1990.
This was a forum for Okinawan and mainland Japanese business leaders and economic groups to discuss strategies for Okinawa’s economic development.
At that meeting, Kazuo Inamori (then Chairman of DDI and founder of Kyocera) proposed creating a unique Okinawan mobile carrier.
Responding to the idea, 43 leading Okinawan companies stepped forward as shareholders, united by the spirit of “for the development of Okinawa’s economy.”
At the same time, DDI (today’s KDDI) provided central support from the mainland, offering both capital and technical expertise.
This collaboration gave birth to Okinawa Cellular, which built mobile infrastructure across the prefecture and created significant employment.
Even today, local companies and financial institutions remain major shareholders, and the company continues to operate under a hybrid management model—local firms working together with a nationwide giant (KDDI).
This model has enabled steady growth, circulation of local capital, and has made Okinawa Cellular an indispensable part of Okinawa’s economy.
The Key: “Local Will”
Two weeks before Junglila’s opening, at KOZAROCKS 2025, we held a panel session discussing the potential impacts of Junglila from the perspectives of tourism, government, and entrepreneurship.
While the session did address concerns such as traffic congestion and the impact on residents, what stood out most was the strong expectation that tourism and startups together could spark new industries rooted in the region.
What struck me even more was the sense of ownership.
The participants didn’t see Junglila as just an external project, but as an opportunity to say: “Let’s create the momentum ourselves.”
It’s easy to criticize new challenges.
But if everyone could predict certain success from the start, it wouldn’t be a challenge in the first place.
Junglila has already begun moving forward, regardless of mixed opinions.
This opportunity—born from people willing to take risks for Okinawa’s independent development—shouldn’t be dismissed with criticism alone.
What truly matters now is for local players to engage with clear intent and to leverage this project to the fullest for Okinawa’s future.
Whether Junglila can grow to become, like Okinawa Cellular, a pillar of Okinawa’s economy will depend on the will of the community to nurture this challenge.
And the same applies to fostering startups.
Insights for the Startup Ecosystem
Startups are constantly running while thinking.
They challenge big visions with incomplete products, unfinished services, and developing organizations.
From the outside, there are always flaws to point out, and critics abound.
But if success looked obvious from the start, it would already be a business—not a startup.
The very reason startups exist is to tackle issues that may not look likely to succeed, but are fundamentally necessary for society—using new technologies and business models to solve them.
For me, being a venture capitalist means engaging from those uncertain early stages, providing funding and support, and working together with entrepreneurs to improve their odds of success.
That’s the role I want Shinryo Fund to play, and it’s the kind of ecosystem I hope Okinawa as a whole can build.
The Seeds of New Industries Emerging in Okinawa
Today in Okinawa, startups in fields like land-based aquaculture are gathering—companies that aim to grow while sustainably using the region’s rich marine resources.
Okinawa has been recognized as having strong potential to become a “future-oriented blue economy hub” across tourism, healthcare, energy, and circular economy.
In June, it was officially selected as a Global Startup City.
And under the GW2050 PROJECTS, which aim to drive Okinawa’s economic development and sustainable society, land-based aquaculture is highlighted as a core pillar of this blue economy vision.
These startups came to Okinawa because they believed in its potential.
But left on their own, some may fail, some may take too long and lose momentum, and others may move their base elsewhere.
Making Use of the Challenges “Here and Now”
Junglila and land-based aquaculture startups alike represent undeniable opportunities for Okinawa.
It’s easy to point out reasons new challenges might fail.
It’s also tempting to pin our hopes on something not yet here.
And yes, attracting new possibilities is important.
But unless we as a community commit to nurturing the seeds of industry that are trying to take root here and now, true industry creation will not happen—no matter how many promising entrepreneurs arrive in Okinawa.
What’s needed is for us to reaffirm and share the will to make the most of the challenges before us.
In that sense, the debate around Junglila might be an opportunity for us to test our resolve.
As a regional venture capital entrusted with Okinawan capital, Shinryo Fund feels a deep responsibility to involve local players and generate the kind of big wave that will lift these startup challenges into thriving industries.
Closing
Coincidentally, two new pieces have just been published:
An interview article with a land-based aquaculture startup based in the KSA (Koza Startup Arcade).
A Newspicks program where Mr. Horie covered Okinawa’s land-based aquaculture.
Please take a look!
And here’s some exciting news:
You can now taste Ryudai Mibai—a grouper farmed through land-based aquaculture using University of the Ryukyus technology—at Sushiro’s Expo store.
If you’re planning to visit the Expo, don’t miss the chance to try it!