Start of Construction on Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (Tentative Name), the Second Project in Mitsui Fudosan’s New Asset Class: Rental Lab and Office Business
Completion Planned for April 2021

February 18, 2020
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc.

Tokyo, Japan, February 18, 2020－Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, has started the rental lab and office business in May 2019, a real estate business for a new asset class in addition to office buildings, rental housing, retail facilities, hotels and resorts, and logistics facilities. The new business represents a further a step forward in the Company’s initiatives to support the creation of innovation in the life science field, which has mainly been focused on Nihonbashi. The Company also plans to start full operation of its first project in this field, Mitsui Link Lab Kasai, in Spring of 2020.

The Company announced the start of construction today on its second project in the rental lab and office business, Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (tentative name). Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (tentative name) will be the first rental lab and office facility to be newly built by the Company.

Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (tentative name) is located on a site with far superior convenience than previous lab and office sites. It is within walking distance of Shinkiba Station, which is served by the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, the Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Railway Rinkai Line, and the JR Keiyo Line, and having excellent access to the Tokyo Station and Haneda Airport transportation hubs as well as central Tokyo. Being situated close to the central city will facilitate collaboration with universities, medical institutions, other industries, and so forth, thereby helping to create open innovation.

In the life science field, Mitsui Fudosan has been working to promote “Building Communities” through an alliance with Life Science Innovation Network Japan, Inc. (Chairman: Hideyuki Okano, “LINK-J”), “Developing Sites” to create ecosystems that lead to the creation and growth of new industries through innovation, and “Providing Capital” in the form of limited partnership investment into life science venture companies.

The rental lab and office business rents out facilities that combine full-fledged wet labs* with offices. The Company will develop this rental lab and office business as the “Mitsui Lab & Office” business, based on the three concepts of “Rental lab facility in the area adjacent to the urban center,” “Creation of open innovation,” and “Fulfilling research environment in an area adjacent to the urban center.” Through this business, the Company and LINK-J aim to create innovation by contributing to the resolution of R&D environment issues in Japan’s life science domain.

＊1 A wet lab is a facility for experiments, in which researchers use liquids, gases, etc., for research in drug discovery and regenerative medicine.

Access map of Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (tentative name)

Drawing of the exterior of Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (tentative name)

Characteristics of Mitsui Lab & Office Business

Close to the urban center

In Japan, there are few rental life sciences wet labs available in the area adjacent to urban centers, and the limited number of research environment choices has been an issue.
By using a rental wet lab located in an area close to the urban center, it is possible to engage in joint research with key players in the life sciences gathered in the urban center, including universities and medical institutions, and begin the commercialization of seeds through collaboration with companies in different sectors, achieving further innovation in research and development. Moreover, the convenient location of the labs is likely to draw human resources and opportunities to interact with investors, including venture capital.
Furthermore, by making home and work closer to each other, workers can shorten their commute time, which contributes to workstyle reform. We can improve workers’ lives by providing fulfilling private time and creating a working environment in which workers can continue or return to a research job, while enabling them to get married, give birth and raise their children.

Creating open innovation

The combined rental wet lab and rental office space encourages communication. In addition, networking with the variety of players from different sectors gathered by Mitsui Fudosan and LINK-J in the Nihonbashi lab inspires open innovation in life sciences.

Providing a fulfilling research environment

Mitsui Lab＆Office’s wet lab is compatible with BSL2* (some labs are compatible with BSL1), which enables researchers to do a wide range of research. A shared experimental equipment room, a shared meeting room, and a communication lounge are also available to support cost reduction and active communication inside and outside the company, with other companies, and across different business sectors.
In addition, by collaborating with adjacent support organizations for research and development, workers can improve the efficiency of research, while they use the lounge and other facilities that Mitsui Fudosan and LINK-J provide in their life science facilities. The companies will develop a network for each facility in the future, forming a Japanese eco-system for research and development through the combined network of Nihonbashi, Kasai, and Shinkiba.

＊2 BSL (biosafety level): Rating of a lab and facilities for handling microorganisms including bacteria, virus, and pathogens. In accordance with the Laboratory Biosafety Manual set by the World Health Organization (WHO), procedures for handling the 4-graded risk groups are stipulated, depending on the risk of pathogen, etc. in each country. BSL2 is for pathogens that can cause disease, but with no serious risk.

Overview of Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (Tentative Name)
Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (tentative name)

Drawing of the exterior of Mitsui Link Lab Shinkiba (tentative name)

*Mitsui Fudosan provides leasing of land from the land owner to tenants after developing the building.

Access

11 minutess’ walk from Shinkiba Station on Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Railway Rinkai Line, and JR Keiyo Line

Site layout

Standard floor area

Shared facilities

Communication lounge

Entrance

Shared experimental equipment room

Conference room

* All information is based on current designs and plans and is subject to change.
* Photographs and perspective drawings are for illustration purposes only.

Life Science Innovation Promotion Project

Mitsui Fudosan regards the creation of new industries for a broader business area as an important strategy. The “Nihonbashi Life Science Innovation Promotion Project” implemented together with LINK-J will be a pillar for the creation of new industries, along with the “new industry creation in Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City” and “31 VENTURES, a co-creation project implemented collaboratively with startup companies.” The Company is engaged in “Building Communities,” “Developing Sites” to create ecosystems that lead to the creation and growth of new industries through innovation, and “Providing Capital” in the form of limited partnership investment into life science venture companies.

Building Communities

LINK-J aims to promote open innovation and build ecosystems in the life science domain. To facilitate this, LINK-J undertakes projects for “interaction and cooperation” as well as “education and support.” As of February 2020, LINK-J has 437 members, and had conducted 518 interaction and cooperation events in 2019.

Developing Sites

Mitsui Fudosan will prepare physical spaces for constructing ecosystems that will promote the creation and growth of new industries through innovation. In addition to rental labs and offices, the Company has developed a series of nine life science buildings centered on the Nihonbashi area, to provide locations for diverse life-science related participants, venture companies and others, bringing around 100 new tenants into the Nihonbashi area.

Providing Capital

Mitsui Fudosan makes limited partner investments to further accelerate the creation of new industries by enabling the commercialization of a greater number of sophisticated technological seeds at universities and research institutions and supporting life science venture companies.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are international goals for 2030 adopted at the United Nations Summit of 2015. The SDGs comprise 17 goals and 169 targets, which require joint initiatives by various bodies.

The initiatives described in this press release will be conducted with the intention of contributing to the following goals in particular.