Keizai Koho Center sent a business delegation to research institutions and high-tech startups in Boston and Silicon Valley. The delegation, composed of major Japanese companies such as Hitachi, JX Nippon Mining & Metals, Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Shimadzu, visited 14 high-tech startups which are trying to commercialize their technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI). The delegation also visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University to learn about their state-of-the-art research activities and to discuss the innovation eco-system in the U.S.