Overview
- Ito announced he will not seek another term on the government-funded Global Startup Campus Initiative as his term ends this month, and he will also leave a separate Digital Society Initiative advisory role.
- A government official overseeing the 64-billion-yen program told Reuters no decisions had been made on reappointments after Sankei reported, citing an unnamed source, that Ito would be dropped.
- The latest U.S. Justice Department release of Epstein-related documents, including thousands of emails, has reignited examination of Ito’s past ties.
- The New York Times reported that prospective partner universities in the United States and Japan have distanced themselves from the Tokyo tech hub project over his involvement.
- Chiba Institute of Technology reiterated its trust in its president as Digital Garage said he will retire from executive and board posts, and Ito, who left MIT’s Media Lab in 2019 over Epstein-linked funding, denies wrongdoing.