Japan has positioned "new foods" (alternative proteins, functional foods, fermentation tech) as a strategic industry under its 2040 investment roadmap, allocating ¥1 trillion to grow the market to ¥3 trillion. The government is prioritizing fermentation and food ingredients over cultivated meat. Thailand's biodiversity, processing expertise, and existing ¥5 billion+ agricultural exports to Japan create a direct opportunity for Thai food SMEs to move upstream from raw materials into higher-value functional food ingredients and products through capital and tech partnerships with Japanese firms.