Japan isn’t losing its edge in DeepTech innovation but it is losing its people.

Singapore has become a magnet for top-tier Japanese engineers, researchers, and technical leaders. Why? It offers what Japan often doesn't: flexibility, global exposure, and faster career velocity.

Armed with targeted policies like the ONE Pass, Singapore is recruiting experienced talent across AI, robotics, and advanced systems engineering. This isn’t accidental. It’s strategic.

Meanwhile, Japan is facing a growing shortfall in DeepTech professionals. The rigid hiring models, risk-averse corporate structures, and slower adoption of hybrid work are pushing top talent to look elsewhere. Many find the freedom and dynamism of Singapore’s tech ecosystem hard to ignore.

We’re also seeing a reverse flow in startup expansion. Robotics and AI ventures based in Singapore are opening offices in Japan then staffing them with talent relocated from Singapore. These firms are offering not just compensation, but meaningful opportunity.

For Japanese DeepTech companies, the implication is clear: unless the talent experience changes, the talent will leave.

It’s time to compete on more than reputation. That means rethinking your talent strategy from the ground up. Flexible roles. Global career paths. Clearer routes to impact. These aren’t perks anymore, they’re requirements.

The real risk isn’t that Japan lacks DeepTech talent. It’s that we’re training it and exporting it.