A Guide to 5 Leading Domestic DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations)

What Is a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization)?

DAO stands for Decentralized Autonomous Organization, an innovative structure enabling businesses and projects to operate without a specific owner or manager. A DAO’s defining trait is its status as a Web3.0-based community, where rules and decisions are managed by self-executing programs called smart contracts.

Built on blockchain technology, DAOs establish and automatically enforce rules through participant consensus. This model can address issues in traditional organizations, such as centralized decision-making delays and lack of transparency.

Because DAOs exist on the blockchain, they face no geographic restrictions and allow participants worldwide to engage anonymously. This global reach connects diverse perspectives and skills, fostering new value creation. DAOs are often called the “corporation of the Web3.0 era” and are considered a next-generation organizational model.

Three Core Features of DAOs

DAOs offer three key features that set them apart from conventional organizations. These characteristics support highly transparent and equitable management, allowing every participant to share in organizational decision-making.

Feature 1: Decentralization

DAOs may include “core developers” who initiate the community, but these members do not hold final decision-making authority. Instead, governance is democratic, led by participants who hold tokens—cryptocurrencies that represent membership and voting power.

DAO tokens function similarly to corporate shares, with voting rights and influence scaled to the number of tokens held. This ensures that contributions and investments translate to proportional influence, maintaining both transparency and fairness. This structure is why DAOs are often described as the “corporation of the Web3.0 era.”

By preventing arbitrary control by individuals or groups, DAOs make it possible to operate in a way that serves all participants’ interests.

Feature 2: Autonomy

DAO rules and policies are automatically executed by blockchain-based programs called smart contracts. These contracts process transactions based on predetermined conditions, requiring no human input or manipulation.

Automation ensures transparent, reliable management of funds, voting results, and project progress. Because smart contracts are often open source, anyone can inspect the code, making fraud and tampering extremely difficult.

This combination of transparency and autonomy lets DAOs address trust issues found in traditional organizations, providing a secure environment for all participants.

Feature 3: Participation

DAO participants can take on roles matching their interests and skills in areas like marketing, development, community management, and content creation.

DAOs allow members to leave at any time and offer a low barrier to entry. Most DAOs operate online, so there are no restrictions based on nationality, gender, age, or primary occupation—enabling broad global participation.

High levels of participation support global collaboration, fostering innovation in ways traditional organizations often cannot.

Five Leading DAOs in Japan

DAO formation and activity are accelerating across various fields in Japan. Below are detailed profiles of five major domestic DAOs.

Leading Japanese DAO 1: Ninja DAO

Ninja DAO brings together holders and fans of the CryptoNinja NFT project. Founded by web marketer Ikehaya, it merges Japan’s ninja heritage with Web3.0 technology to create a distinctive ecosystem.

NFT holders in Ninja DAO have the right to freely use “CryptoNinja” characters—based on traditional ninja imagery—for commercial purposes. These characters appear in NFTs, manga, games, anime, merchandise, music, and stage productions, allowing creators to generate derivative works in a supportive environment.

A notable achievement is the development of “Shinobanai! CryptoNinja Sakuya,” the world’s first TV anime starring an NFT character, which is scheduled for broadcast as a series. This large-scale media expansion demonstrates DAOs’ impact beyond community building, influencing real business and the entertainment industry.

Leading Japanese DAO 2: Kunimitsu DAO

Kunimitsu DAO was founded by Hiroshi Kunimitsu, CEO of the crowdfunding platform FiNANCiE. Its primary goal is to cultivate Web3.0-era Japanese startups.

Kunimitsu DAO’s strength lies in comprehensive support for startups, including funding, talent matching, business know-how sharing, and networking opportunities.

Its mission includes:

1. Exploring new community models in the Web3.0 era and sharing successful examples globally
2. Fairly distributing project-generated revenue among DAO participants (token holders)

This revenue-sharing approach makes participants partners in project success, not just supporters.

Leading Japanese DAO 3: Wagumi DAO

Wagumi DAO aims to promote Japanese traditional culture and aesthetics worldwide. It operates the “WAGMI” NFT project, which features traditional Japanese designs and expresses cultural beauty through digital art.

The DAO provides a platform for global enthusiasts of Japanese traditions to collaborate and create new value, reinterpreting Japanese culture for a modern audience.

Participants help share Japanese culture globally by selling, exchanging, and creating NFTs and art. The DAO encourages active member interaction, information exchange, and collaboration.

Through these efforts, Wagumi DAO pursues both preservation and innovation, seeking new ways to transmit culture by combining tradition with advanced technology.

Leading Japanese DAO 4: SUPER SAPIENSS

SUPER SAPIENSS is Japan’s first full-scale entertainment DAO, launched by renowned film directors Yukihiko Tsutsumi, Katsuyuki Motohiro, and Yuichi Sato.

The project’s goal is to co-create original works focused on human evolution, using NFTs and blockchain to enable direct collaboration between creators and fans—something not possible in conventional filmmaking.

Supporters who purchase NFTs enjoy benefits such as:

1. Access to exclusive articles and videos
2. Participation in decisions about film production and distribution
3. Invitations to behind-the-scenes and shooting locations
4. Priority purchase of tickets and merchandise
5. Dividends from box office and NFT sales

This system makes supporters co-creators who share in the economic success of the project. NFTs for the “SUPER SAPIENSS” film are digital art depicting the story’s characters and world, issued in limited quantities.

Leading Japanese DAO 5: MZ DAO

MZ DAO, founded by entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, aims to foster “one million entrepreneurs” to revitalize Japan’s economy and society.

Its hallmark is low participation cost: for just 500 yen per month, members access exclusive articles and the right to contribute to actual business projects. This affordability broadens access to entrepreneurship and business practice.

Business ideas and policies are decided by votes using DAO-issued tokens. Members can propose ideas and, with enough support, turn them into real businesses.

MZ DAO functions as a community for aspiring entrepreneurs to learn and collaborate.

The Future of DAOs

DAOs are expected to further evolve as a new paradigm for organizational management. Their future potential can be considered from three perspectives:

Future Perspective 1: Efficient, Transparent Organizations

DAOs enable fast, efficient decision-making and information sharing without centralized managers. This allows for highly transparent operations and significant promise as a future organizational model.

Traditional organizations often required upper management approval, creating delays and concentrating information among a few individuals—resulting in poor transparency. DAOs, by contrast, allow all participants to make decisions autonomously, with all transactions and decisions publicly recorded on the blockchain.

These strengths help DAOs overcome bureaucracy and information asymmetry, supporting faster and fairer management.

Future Perspective 2: Equal Rights for All Members

DAOs give every participant the right to engage in governance, enabling egalitarian management that could serve as a model for democratic organizations.

Traditional organizations typically concentrate power at the top, limiting opportunities for broad participation and creating opaque decision-making. DAOs grant voting rights to all token holders, letting them help determine key policies and decisions.

This system ensures equal rights and creates a flatter organizational structure, allowing diverse perspectives to shape management and fostering innovation.

Future Perspective 3: Digital Asset Management and Operation

DAOs leverage blockchain to efficiently manage and operate digital assets. Shared ownership, distribution, and investment—which are difficult in traditional organizations—are handled smoothly, creating new investment and fundraising opportunities.

In DAOs, investment and funding are facilitated by token purchases, and project revenues are distributed automatically and fairly via smart contracts.

This approach enables global, transparent fundraising and asset management not possible in conventional financial systems—a major opportunity for startups and new projects.

DAOs also offer advanced transparency and efficiency in managing digital assets such as NFTs and tokens, and their importance will likely increase as the digital economy grows.

Summary: DAO Activity Is Accelerating in Japan

This article detailed five major Japanese DAOs. DAOs are an innovative organizational model built on blockchain, with strong potential for new business and social models thanks to their transparency, fairness, and autonomy.

Across entertainment, entrepreneurship, and cultural promotion, DAOs are being established and operated more actively in Japan. These organizations enable new value creation and collaboration that was difficult with traditional structures, supporting Japanese innovation.

In the coming years, broader DAO adoption may reshape work and organizational models. As a new structure for the Web3.0 era, DAOs may play a key role in Japan’s economic revitalization and solving social issues.

Though DAOs are still developing and face regulatory and technical challenges, their potential is vast. Keep watching developments in Japan and globally, and if interested, actively participate to help advance this new organizational model.

FAQ

What Is a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization)? How Is It Different from Traditional Companies?

A DAO is a decentralized organization governed by smart contracts, with no CEO or executive team. All members participate democratically in management. Unlike traditional hierarchical companies, DAOs are highly transparent, fully automated, and operate globally.

What Are the Major Japanese DAO Projects and Their Features?

Key Japanese DAOs include FreerossDAO (developer community-centric) and PleasrDAO (focused on environmental protection and art). Each project features unique use cases and growth patterns.

How Do DAOs Operate and What Are Their Governance Processes?

DAOs use decentralized governance, with members proposing, voting on, and executing decisions. Smart contracts automate these processes, eliminating the need for centralized intermediaries.

How Can I Join a DAO? What Are the Requirements and Costs?

No special requirements are needed to participate in a DAO. You need a wallet, internet access, and to hold or invest in DAO tokens. Many DAOs are free or low cost, with only gas fees required. Transparency and voting rights are core features.

What Risks Should I Consider When Participating in a DAO?

DAO participation involves legal risks, possible loss of funds from insufficient smart contract audits, governance token price volatility, and liquidity risks. Pay close attention to KYC requirements for fiat exchange and foreign exchange regulations for Chinese users.

What Is DAO Token Governance and How Do I Obtain Voting Rights?

DAO token governance uses tokens issued via smart contracts; holders can vote on DAO decisions. To obtain voting rights, hold the DAO’s governance tokens. Each token equals one vote.

What Are the Differences Between Japanese and Overseas DAOs?

Japanese DAOs face strict regulatory and legal constraints, while overseas DAOs operate more freely. However, overseas DAOs encounter different legal challenges, and their transparency and autonomy levels vary.

What Is the Future Outlook for DAOs and What Challenges Remain?

DAOs have strong growth prospects, with rapid expansion expected post-2026 thanks to AI integration, better legal frameworks, and rising user participation. Major challenges include smart contract security, limited governance engagement, and legal uncertainty.