Chizai Zukan Launches Crowdfunding to Create an Open 'Wiki of Inventions' Where Anyone Can Participate

"Chizai Zukan," an innovation media operated by Konel Inc., launched a crowdfunding campaign on the social good crowdfunding platform "For Good" on Tuesday, April 8, 2026, to evolve Chizai Zukan into an open database where anyone can post, explore, and connect. The target amount is 3 million yen, aiming to complete the renewal within 2026.

### "For Good" Chizai Zukan Crowdfunding Page https://for-good.net/project/1003419

■ Background: The "Disconnect of Knowledge" Faced by Japan, an Intellectual Property Powerhouse

Japan is the world's third-largest patent powerhouse, following China and the United States. The annual number of patent applications in 2024 was over 300,000 (from the Japan Patent Office Status Report 2025). However, including patents for defensive purposes, approximately half are not utilized in business and fail to generate revenue.

Behind this are three structural barriers: "cannot find, cannot understand, cannot connect." Patent databases are designed for experts, making it difficult for general businesses and creators to even reach the necessary technology. Even if found, patent documents are written in legal language to protect rights, making it impossible to intuitively understand "what the technology can be used for." Furthermore, even if the technology is understood, it is unclear how to contact the inventor or who to partner with for implementation. A pathway connecting technology and business simply does not exist.

Due to a structure where inventions do not reach the people they should, businesses and collaborations that should have been born continue to be lost.