DigitalBridge Group and Japan Extensive Infrastructure, Limited have announced the formation of Nippon Gateway Infrastructure, a new colocation data center platform targeting enterprise customers across Japan, seeded with a portfolio of data center assets acquired from NEC Corporation.

A New Platform Built on Established Assets

The joint venture, announced on July 1, brings together DigitalBridge, the New York Stock Exchange-listed global digital infrastructure investor headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, and JEXI, an investment advisory company within the Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group.

Their respective affiliates have formed Nippon Gateway Infrastructure, known as NGI, with an initial portfolio of data center facilities located in the Greater Tokyo and Greater Osaka regions, acquired directly from NEC Corporation.

NEC, one of Japan's most established technology conglomerates, will not exit the relationship entirely following the transaction. The company will remain a strategic customer of NGI as the new platform seeks to expand its enterprise customer base beyond its founding portfolio.

The launch positions NGI as a colocation-focused operator, providing what the company describes as secure, reliable, and scalable digital infrastructure solutions through facilities in major metropolitan and regional markets across Japan.

The platform's stated growth strategy will combine acquisitions of existing assets, expansion of current facilities, and selective greenfield developments in key markets.

Leadership Team Drawn From Japan's Technology and Telecoms Sector

NGI has assembled a three-person executive leadership structure ahead of its public launch, drawing on decades of combined experience across Japan's technology, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure industries.

Hiroshi Ogasawara has joined as President and Chief Executive Officer. His background includes senior executive positions at SCSK Corporation, SCSK NEC Data Center Management, Ltd., and AT TOKYO Corporation, giving him direct operational experience within Japan's data center sector.

In his statement accompanying the announcement, Ogasawara described NGI's ambition to become a leading enterprise-focused colocation data center platform in Japan, noting that the company intends to pursue growth through strategic acquisitions, facility expansions, and greenfield developments across the country.

Masato Hoshino has taken the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Hoshino brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the telecommunications and digital infrastructure sectors, including prior service as Head of Asia at Colt Technology Services.

Rounding out the senior team, Yoshiaki Fujimori has been appointed Chairman of NGI. Fujimori currently serves as Chairman of Oracle Japan and brings more than four decades of leadership experience alongside what the company describes as deep relationships across Japan's business community.

DigitalBridge's Asia Strategy and the JEXI Partnership

For DigitalBridge, the formation of NGI represents a continuation of what the firm characterizes as its core model of creating and scaling digital infrastructure platforms in partnership with experienced management teams and strategic local partners.

Justin Chang, Senior Managing Director and Head of Asia at DigitalBridge, said in the announcement that NGI is well positioned to become a leading data center platform in Japan, citing the quality of the foundational portfolio, the strength of the management team, and a pipeline of expansion opportunities.

DigitalBridge manages infrastructure assets on behalf of limited partners and shareholders across a range of digital infrastructure categories, including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure. The firm operates from its Florida headquarters with offices spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

JEXI brings a distinct local mandate to the partnership. As part of the Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, JEXI focuses on domestic infrastructure investment in Japan and operates under what it describes as an "ALL JAPAN" philosophy, aiming to function as a connector between investor capital and infrastructure businesses across the country.

Kenjiro Okamura, Chief Investment Officer and Representative Director at JEXI, emphasized that the firm intends to go beyond a passive capital provider role. Describing JEXI's approach as "industrial finance," Okamura said the company aims to contribute to business creation and growth support, and to drive sustainable value creation in the digital infrastructure sector.

He added that JEXI will continue working to connect global and domestic investor capital with Japan's infrastructure businesses, with the goal of strengthening capital flows and the nation's industrial foundation.

Japan's Enterprise Data Center Market in Focus

The formation of NGI comes as demand for digital infrastructure across Japan continues to grow, driven by enterprise requirements for capacity that is secure, scalable, and geographically distributed.

NGI's initial footprint in Greater Tokyo and Greater Osaka places it in the country's two largest metropolitan economies, while the company's stated strategy of pursuing both acquisitions and greenfield development signals an intent to extend its reach into additional regional markets over time.

JEXI, whose investment scope spans digital infrastructure, decarbonization initiatives, and social infrastructure supporting regional development, has framed the NGI venture as consistent with its broader mission of addressing social challenges across Japan's infrastructure sector.

The platform will operate under the Nippon Gateway Infrastructure brand, with its colocation services positioned specifically at enterprise customers rather than the hyperscale cloud segment that has drawn much of the recent global data center investment activity.

Japan Data Center Growth Is Accelerating: Is Your Pipeline Intelligence Keeping Up?

Across Japan, demand for data center capacity is outpacing the ability of many firms to track where the real opportunities are emerging. From hyperscale campuses to edge deployments spreading across Japan, the pace of development leaves little room for guesswork when it comes to identifying the right projects at the right time.

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