Japan has yet to decide on reappointing businessman Joichi Ito to an entrepreneurship project amid renewed scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The uncertainty follows the U.S. Justice Department's release of millions of new Epstein documents. A government official stated that no decisions have been made on committee members for the next term.
Tokyo – Japan has not yet decided whether to reappoint businessman Joichi Ito to its 64-billion-yen ($407-million) entrepreneurship program, the Global Startup Campus Initiative, which aims to build a tech innovation hub in Tokyo in partnership with top universities.
Ito was hired as an executive adviser in 2024 and later became a steering committee member. An anonymous government official overseeing the program told Reuters, "No decisions have been made about committee members for the next term." The official added that Ito's current appointment is not problematic, stating, "He has never been convicted of any criminal act" and "His expertise is vital to our initiative."
The remarks responded to a Sankei newspaper report, citing an unidentified source, that Ito would not be reappointed after his term ends this month. Ito has denied any wrongdoing connected to Epstein and resigned in 2019 as director of MIT's Media Lab over an Epstein-linked funding scandal.
Last week, the New York Times reported that Ito's involvement in the program had already prompted some U.S. and Japanese universities to distance themselves, even before more than 4,000 emails in the latest release revealed his close ties to Epstein.
In a Saturday statement, Chiba Institute of Technology, where Ito has been president since 2023, reaffirmed "that he had no knowledge of any illegal or improper activities" and said its "trust in President Ito remains unwavering."
Ito also serves on a panel at Japan's Digital Agency. Digital Minister Hisashi Matsumoto declined to comment at a Friday press conference, saying the agency "could not act on uncertain information."
The Japanese fintech company Digital Garage Inc., co-founded by Ito in the 1990s, announced on Friday that he would retire as executive officer by the end of March and as a board director at its June shareholder meeting, without providing a reason.
