Exploring the Japanese DAO Ecosystem: A pioneering force leading the integration of innovation and tradition

Original title: "These DAOs are changing Japan"

Original author: Wang Chao

Original source: Empower Labs

A few days ago, I wrote some records about going to Tokyo to watch the video game show. This time I will talk about the Japanese DAO I observed separately. The title is a bit exaggerated, but it’s not entirely headline-grabbing.

On the day I arrived in Tokyo, I visited a shared office space for crypto practitioners. There are many Japanese DAOists and Web3 entrepreneurs gathered there, as well as a crypto investment institution known as the most active in Tokyo.

It's in an excellent location, right next to Shibuya Station, yet quietly tucked away at an unobtrusive intersection. The shared space occupies the 3-6 floors of a building, two of which are reserved by the VC and several larger associated team companies, and the other two floors are rented by individuals or start-up teams of only two or three people.

The office space is simple, even a little shabby. The price is quite affordable. The price of a workstation is 2,200 RMB, and a separate compartment only costs 3,500 RMB a month. There is also an evening slot, which only costs 550 yuan per month, but can only be used after 5 p.m. It is probably aimed at students who have a side job here after get off work. This is very suitable for friends who participate in DAO in their spare time. Temporary use is also possible, it only costs 100 yuan per day, but it can only be used until 5 pm.

The person in charge of operations and I made an appointment in advance to meet at 5 o'clock, which was probably a bit late. There were not many people in the office, and everyone was doing their own thing quietly. The person who was in charge of receiving me at the scene was a little girl who had a pretty and pleasant appearance and spoke pretty good English. She took me around two floors and introduced various facilities and support for tenants. After turning around, the feeling is that although the hardware is simple, it is comfortable and comfortable. However, whether it is a cubicle or a conference room, the sound insulation is approximately 0. As long as you make phone calls and hold meetings, it is a serious build in public, which is quite in line with the spirit of DAO. You are welcome to listen.

What impressed me the most was the photo wall. It seemed that many members would leave a Polaroid photo there, which added a sense of community to the space. The little girl pointed to the photo and told me who this is, what project they have done, who this is, and what they are doing. They are probably all entrepreneurs with a certain reputation, but unfortunately I have never heard of any of them. As for tenant support, what impressed me the most is that even if you only rent a workspace, they will help provide you with necessary materials such as the address for company registration. I don’t know if all shared spaces in Japan are like this, but I feel they are quite friendly to entrepreneurs.

The space holds events every Monday, and invited guests often come from different DAOs. Although there are many encryption-themed office spaces in Tokyo, I think this one is unique in that it is truly closely integrated with the DAO ecosystem. Its operating model is also quite DAO-specific: each member will receive an NFT, which is associated with the door lock system and can open the door through a dedicated app. In addition, the interaction between members and the communication with the operators are very active. Not only can they organize activities and make suggestions on their own initiative, but some decisions are determined through member voting. While this is still essentially a company-operated office rental project, these community elements add to its unique charm.

I came into contact with the Japanese DAO much earlier than this trip. I have met some Japanese entrepreneurs in the past few years and have become good friends with some of them. The world is made up of circles, and Japan is certainly no exception. Friends know my interests and help me introduce people to me from time to time, including those who make games, invest, and start businesses. Of course, there are also some activists who are devoted to the DAO field.

I use the word activist because this is my most direct impression of the local DAO in Japan.

Some global DAOs have many participants in Japan, such as BanklessJP and PNouns. As for Bright Moments DAO, which is famous for operating offline generative art galleries and exhibitions, the community even voted for Tokyo as the city of its Asian station, and held a successful opening art event in May. I am a long-time member of Bright Moments. Before going this time, I specifically talked with the partners who promote operations in each region about their future plans in Tokyo.

But compared to this kind of global DAO, I am more interested in the DAO that grew out of Japan. Most of these DAOs I have come into contact with give me the feeling of an activist, because they almost all point to a common big goal – social impact.

Perhaps due to the relatively closed environment in Japan, the demand for external exchanges is particularly strong. Several DAOs hope to promote exchanges and cooperation between Japan and the world. . More DAOs mainly focus on internal development - they hope to drive progress and change from villages to industries and even countries through community collaboration.

A DAO that promotes the founding of Web3

Among all Japanese DAOs, Yamaguchi DAO is relatively famous. Yamakoshi is a small village located deep in the mountains in north-central Japan. It once had a permanent population of 2,200 people. In the earthquake 19 years ago, the village was severely damaged and the entire village was forced to evacuate. When the impact of the earthquake ended more than ten years later, only 800 villagers were still living there.

Facing problems such as personnel loss and economic depression, Shanguzhi Village launched the Digital Villager NFT project in December 2021, inviting digital villagers to participate in the reconstruction of the village. It was the NFT bull market at that time, and this particular narrative brought them a lot of attention, the NFT was swept away, and the promoters were even invited to speak at the Japanese Parliament.

However, the operation of the project is not easy. The operation is mainly responsible for the local voluntary organization Sangoe Residents Committee. In the review at the end of 2022, the team admitted that the development was not going smoothly. They have set their sights on the global community, but "the survival of marginal villages" and "regional revitalization" are too high-context and not suitable for global use. They then conceived a new direction based on what they gained from this year's operations. Expand the concept of digital villagers to more regions to create network effects, and also form a more effective DAO operating structure.

The new plan of Guzhi DAO

Coincidentally, the "Beautiful Village Alliance", a Japanese non-profit organization founded in 2005, launched the "Beautiful Village DAO", positioning itself as a co-creation regional revitalization platform that connects beautiful villages and digital villagers. So far, 71 villages have joined. The DAO Alliance.

Promoting industry changes is also a feature seen in the Japanese DAO ecosystem. But unlike some industry DAOs that are about to overthrow everything when they come up, Japanese industry DAOs are more moderate. They are mostly based in a certain industry and help each other. In the future, they may develop some professional service businesses.

A logistics DAO, the goal is to increase the B-end's emphasis on logistics and fully reflect the value of logistics. They are also developing logistics consulting business with members with experience in shipping companies, freight forwarders, customs brokers, aerospace industry logistics, and working with former customs Employees work together to start nonprofits.

A beauty DAO with the goals of "creating new value" and "improving the social status of those working in the beauty industry".

The more powerful DAO aims to influence national policies, and the representative among them is RulemakerDAO. As the name suggests, the goal of this DAO is to promote the formulation of regional and national policies through the power of the community.

Japan is currently planning to launch a digital nomad visa to attract digital nomads from around the world to live in Japan temporarily, and RulemakerDAO is one of the main driving forces behind this policy.

On March 21, RulemakerDAO established a digital nomad visa promotion project.

On April 19, members of RulemakerDAO submitted their thoughts on digital nomad visas to Shunsuke Takei, then Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs).

On May 8, RulemakerDAO held a public discussion, attended by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Shunsuke Takei and some professionals related to digital nomads.

Picture quoted from Rulemaker community public information

On May 19, they submitted another proposal to Representative Soichiro Imeda. Soichiro Imaeda is the youth minister of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the executive director of the Entrepreneurship Promotion Committee. He is a Web3-friendly politician and was just appointed as the deputy minister of education, culture, science and technology (equivalent to the deputy minister of culture, science and technology) in the cabinet reshuffle on September 17. .

Picture quoted from Rulemaker community public information

On June 8, the Liberal Democratic Party Labor Promotion Committee held a plenary meeting to discuss the digital nomad visa, and RulemakerDAO members were invited to participate in the discussion.

On August 31, RulemakerDAO once again held a seminar on digital nomad visas and invited Representative Soichiro Imeda to participate.

Digital Nomad Visa Proposal

One of the members even drafted the policy directly

The digital nomad visa policy is still in the process of advancement and has not yet been implemented. Regardless of whether it can ultimately be implemented, DAO has demonstrated its power in advancing national affairs.

Digital nomad visas aren’t the only thing they plan to promote, RulemakerDAO also plans to hold workshops and present discussion points and policy recommendations in the local government x Web3 and tourism sectors.

The Japanese government is not idle either. The Social Affairs Promotion Committee of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party published the Web3 white paper in April this year, which covers the new tax system plan for LLC-type DAOs, investment-type DAO legislation and other contents.

In the wave of embracing Web3, the exploration of various social DAOs in Japan shows that the concept of community is inspiring a wider group of people. They are not only reshaping new paradigms of collaboration and governance, but also revealing a future trend: communities will play an increasingly important role in the development of future society.

The DAO journey in Japan is still in its infancy, and perhaps most of the current Japanese DAOs will gradually disappear. But whether they can continue to develop or gradually disappear, they have sown seeds in Japan's business community, political circles and even the hearts of ordinary people. As these seeds of change take root and sprout in people's hearts, they are expected to become a pioneering force in the fusion of innovation and tradition in conservative Japanese society.

• Regarding Japan’s DAO, my observations are mostly superficial and do not represent the full picture. Due to language limitations, there may be errors in the interpretation of some information, so please consider it carefully when referring to it. *