Hospitality has long been a part of the Japanese tradition. It is the desire to make others happy, to provide others with a more comfortable environment. And it is this same desire that drives us to embrace bold ideas and take on challenges, in turn giving birth to innovative services and products that dramatically change people’s lifestyles. With time, these innovative services and products take root in people’s lives to become what is called culture. Indeed, it is our spirit of challenge that leads us to create culture. I believe the flowers of culture continue to bloom into the future as long as we retain our sense of hospitality and spirit of challenge.

Japan’s modernization was accompanied by a rapid accumulation of knowledge and transformation of craftsmanship into technology that led us to become a nation built upon advanced technology. The many research institutions and universities located along the Tsukuba Express (TX) Line make it a leading zone of knowledge accumulation in Japan, where a diverse array of advanced technologies is created. Yet, regardless how brilliant the technological innovation is, its value will not be felt by society until it is commercialized. TX Entrepreneur Partners (General Incorporated Association, TEP) aspires to go beyond supporting individual entrepreneurs towards our goal of constructing a social system that provides an organic link among the various supportive activities provided by central government, municipal governments and private organizations. I am convinced that if we can develop a relationship of co-prosperity among all the individuals, enterprises and organizations involved in this kind of a social system, the supportive infrastructure will function as an independent system that continues evolving to meet the needs of the times. We look forward to having entrepreneurs seeking support as well as angels and supporters who sympathize with our activities to join us in our endeavors.