Tokyo Innovation Week gets underway in City of Moreton Bay
Published 03 August 2026
- Tokyo Innovation Week kicks off as part of Council’s open innovation challenge with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
- City of Moreton Bay is one of only two partner cities delivering the international challenge in 2026
- Five shortlisted startups will present potential solutions for disaster prediction and preparedness and infrastructure operation and maintenance management, with the winner revealed later this year
Tokyo Innovation Week has commenced today, as part of Council’s joint investment in an open innovation challenge with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
City of Moreton Bay was selected earlier this year as the first Australian city, and one of two global partner cities, in a Tokyo Metropolitan Government initiative that connects innovative startups with cities to solve urban challenges through technology trials called ‘King Salmon Project’.
Mayor Peter Flannery said the week-long visit to City of Moreton Bay will strengthen ties between Queensland and Japan while promoting innovation-led solutions to real-world challenges.
“Five shortlisted Tokyo startups have been exploring City of Moreton Bay’s Urban Challenge themes of disaster prediction and preparedness and infrastructure operation and maintenance management.
“During their visit to City of Moreton Bay, the startups have the opportunity to better understand the environment, context, constraints and challenges they are solving before presenting their final pitches to a panel of judges.
“We will also have the exciting opportunity to learn more about nurturing innovation within the startup ecosystem from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which will directly support our City’s goal of becoming a top 10 innovation hub,” he said.
The five Tokyo-based startups presenting their challenge solutions are:
- eMotion Fleet: Provides one-stop services for commercial fleet electrification, EV fleet and asset management, and the installation of charging infrastructure.
- GeoCreates: Offers virtual evacuation training using VR as well as AI integrated eye-tracking and image analytics technology.
- Koei Dreamworks: Developing a self-propelled inspection robot that can navigate inside pipes and providing an electronic acoustic probe that detects vibrations caused by water leakage from supply pipes.
- Tenchijin Inc: Provides solutions and consulting services using satellite data. Developing and operating a cloud-based Geographic Information System (GIS) platform that integrates satellite data and AI to evaluate and manage water leakage risks for utilities.
- Wota: Provides autonomous, small-scale water regeneration systems that convert used water into safe, clean water on-site. Wota delivers portable solutions for disaster relief, sanitation, and decentralised infrastructure in water-scarce regions.
The winning startup will be announced later this year, and City of Moreton Bay will work closely with key partners to support a fully funded delivery of the chosen proof of concept.
“Our participation in the open innovation challenge places Moreton Bay on the global stage, demonstrating international confidence in the City’s innovation capabilities.
"City of Moreton Bay has long been proactively developing open innovation capability including two proof of concept projects with local companies, Cerge and Briometrix, enhancing accessibility mapping for venues and footpaths.
“We look forward to learning more about the innovation-led solutions that the startups have been working on,” Mayor Flannery said.
Tokyo Innovation Week forms part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Global City Network for Sustainability (G-NETS) initiative.
Major partners for Tokyo Innovation Week include Unitywater, UniSC, Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ) and Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).