Japan’s Docomo is setting up a fund backing start-ups with new ideas in a number of fields, including medical and healthcare.

The operator is setting up its JPY10 billion (US$125 million) Innovation Fund, as well as its Innovation Village incubation programme, before the end of March 2013. The fund will back promising start-ups, primarily in Japan, which have innovative business models, technologies or services. Some of the investment targets are expected to come from the new incubation programme that will support new ventures with resources and knowhow.

Docomo is backing eight new fields in total. In addition to health, other activities include payments, M2M, media and environment/ecology.