Polkadot’s Astar Network Partners Tokyo’s Shibuya to Support Web3 Strategy

Polkadot’s leading parachain and innovative hub, Astar Network, has partnered with Tokyo’s special ward Shibuya to support the city’s Web3 initiative.

According to a press release sent to CryptoPotato, the partnership will see Astar and Shibuya team up to foster the development of Tokyo’s Web3 strategy.

Astar Network Partners Shibuya City

As per the release, the alliance is the first between a Japanese blockchain firm and one of Tokyo’s biggest and most densely populated wards.

Shibuya, known as a major commercial and financial center, houses two of the world’s busiest railway stations and one of Japan’s best fashion districts. The ward is also the headquarter of the Japanese arm of the multinational technology company Google.

Through the partnership, Astar will support Shibuya’s Startup Support activities by hosting Web3-focused events, including educational programs and hackathons.

Commenting on the partnership, Sota Watanabe, the CEO of Astar Foundation, said:

“Shibuya is the largest city for young people in Japan and the city of startups. It’s known as Japan’s Silicon Valley, or “Bit Valley,” derived from a place in Shibuya（渋谷), combining Bitter (渋) and Valley (谷). We’re honored to have opened our office in this tech hub and to have signed a basic agreement with the city to utilize web3.”

Astar Fosters Web3 Growth in Japan

Since its launch in January 2019, Astar Network has played a significant role in the growth and development of the Web3 space in Japan. As a blockchain innovation hub, the platform fosters Web3 adoption through education for engineers and business leaders to get involved in the budding sector.

Last month, Astar partnered with Sony Network Communications, a business division of The Sony Group, a major Japanese technology company, to nurture Web3 projects through an incubation program.

The program is designed for projects focusing on the utility of non-fungible tokens (NFT) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO) and will run from mid-March to mid-June.