Investing in Japan
Regional Information
Aomori
Concentrated and Focused – Aomori Power!!
- Your Regional Guide: Shungo Tazawa
Inquiry form
Department Of Commerce, Industry And Labor Industrial Promotion Division
1-1-1 Nagashima, Aomori-city, Aomori Prefecture 030-8570
TEL: +81-17-734-9380 FAX: +81-17-734-8109
- Basic Information
- Regional Profile
- Services for investment in Japan
- Available incentives
- Living environment for foreigners
- Links to Related Websites
Basic Information
| Population | 1.44 million (Male: 0.68 million, Female: 0.76 million) (2005) |
|---|---|
| Labor force | 0.75 million (Male: 0.42 million, Female: 0.33 million) (2005) |
| Area | 9,607km² (2004) |
| GDP | 4,300 billion yen (2004) |
| Major industries | Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; manufacturing; construction; wholesale |
| Developing industries | Electrical machinery; general machinery; wholesale and retail |
| JETRO office | JETRO Aomori |
Regional Profile
Strength of the region's industries and economy
In addition to making an active effort to attract advanced leading-edge companies in such industries as automotive, FPD, and environmental recycling, Aomori is working to develop a cluster of industries that take maximum advantage of the prefecture’s abundant nature and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries resources as well as its local talent in advanced technologies and other areas in order to develop a distinct “Aomori-type Industry”. Above all, Aomori has sought to encourage a concentration of automotive-related industries in the prefecture in order to capitalize on the major economic effect these industries have on local companies and others, due to the fact that automotive-related industries are intertwined with a broad range of other industries.
Strength of the region's education/research institutes
Aomori is a leader in producing superior human resources in the sciences thanks to the presence of Hirosaki University, Hachinohe Institute of Technology, Aomori University, Hachinohe National College of Technology and numerous other advanced polytechnic institutes, vocational polytechnic colleges, industrial high schools, etc. The number of new graduates each year is around 20,000, with approximately 4,200 of those specializing in the sciences. In addition the Aomori Industrial Research Center (Aomori City), Hirosaki Technical Laboratory (Hirosaki City), and Hachinohe Technical Laboratory (Hachinohe City) provide technical guidance and improvements.
Industry-government-academia collaboration
Aomori is undertaking four specific initiative strategies aimed at helping it achieve its goal of being recognized for a distinctive “Aomori-type Industry”.
- Strategy1: Cultivate Aomori as the “Crystal Valley” and take advantage of cutting-edge technology in nanotechnology research and other areas
- Strategy 2: Make use of environmental and energy industry creation zones and Aomori eco-friendly towns to develop the environmental and energy industries and to establish Aomori as a base for research and development
- Strategy 3: Use the prefecture’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries resources through the “agro-industry ‘best mix’ for new industry creation” concept to develop new products with high added-value and to promote commercialization
- Strategy 4: Develop the medical and health and welfare-related industries using the “Wellness Land” concept, among others
- Strategy 5: Use the Aomori automotive-related industry promotional strategy to develop the concentration of the automotive-related industry in Aomori
And in order to cultivate the superior human resources needed to support the implementation of these strategies, a sixth initiative strategy – the “cultivation of human resources suited to the development of Aomori-type industry” – will be implemented jointly with Hirosaki University, Hachinohe Institute of Technology, Hachinohe National College of Technology and other education and research institutions.
Strength of the region's infrastructure
Aomori is at the center of the increasing concentration of semiconductor-related industries and automotive-related industries taking place in the Tohoku and Hokkaido regions. The prefecture maintains expressways, railways, sea transport and other transport facilities enabling growth into the surrounding Tohoku and Hokkaido regions.
<Land>
Currently the Tohoku Jukan Expressway runs between Aomori City and Hachinohe City, and in addition, an organic network of roads ties the entire prefecture together.
<Air>
All major cities in Japan can be reached from the Aomori and Misawa Airports. Also, Aomori Airport is the first locally administered airport to maintain a category III instrument landing system, which drastically reduces the danger posed by dense fog and offers other features which greatly increase the safety and reliability of the airport.
<Sea>
The Port of Mutsu Ogawara, the Port of Aomori, and the Port of Hachinohe are specially-designated ports that run domestic feeder routes connecting with the Port of Yokohama as well as domestic RORO trade routes connecting with the major cities in Japan. In addition, these ports maintain regular container routes connecting with North America, Korea and Southeast Asia.
<Railway>
In 2010 the Tohoku shinkansen (bullet train) will reach Aomori City, the seat of the prefectural government. Tokyo Station can be reached from Shin-Aomori Station in as little as three hours and ten minutes, enabling people to travel from the main cities in Aomori to the Tokyo metropolitan area and back within a day.
Services for investment in Japan
| Menu of services | Fees charged? | Content of services |
|---|---|---|
| Providing market information | ||
| Advice on market participation | No | Any questions that companies might have will be responded to promptly. |
| Support for establishing a base | ||
| Listing of potential customers and partners | No | Companies will be introduced to affiliate companies, technical support institutions (Aomori Industrial Research Center) and others. |
| Listing of potential customers and partners | No | Any questions that companies might have will be responded to promptly. |
| Support for establishing a base | ||
| Providing incubation facilities or other facilities | No | Companies will receive advice on selecting optimal sites to meet their expansion plans and will be introduced to the full range of preferential treatment afforded by Aomori Prefecture. |
| Providing information on procedures for investing in Japan | No | Any questions that companies might have will be responded to promptly. |
| Arranging the meetings needed to establish a base (real estate, manpower services) | No | Aomori offers one-stop service through the Aomori Industry Promotion Division and its branch offices outside the prefecture in helping make the necessary arrangements for establishing facilities in Aomori. |
| Introduction of available properties and advice on hiring personnel | No | In addition to helping companies choose sites optimally suited to their business expansion plans, Aomori offers one-stop service through the Aomori Industry Promotion Division and its branch offices outside the prefecture in helping secure human resources using the prefecture’s placement center which is specifically focused on providing perfectly matched human resources as a means of attracting corporate expansion into Aomori. |
| Providing information on permits and licensing procedures | No | Aomori offers one-stop service through the Aomori Industry Promotion Division and its branch offices outside the prefecture in providing information relating to procedures for obtaining approval and licenses. |
| Providing information on subsidy programs | No | Aomori offers one-stop service through the Aomori Industry Promotion Division and its branch offices outside the prefecture in providing information relating to Aomori’s subsidy system. |
Available incentives
In addition to offering a subsidy system whereby up to 2 billion yen is offered as support for initial capital investment in buildings and machinery, there are a number of large-scale industrial parks, such as the Mutsu Ogawa Development Region, which help subsidize site acquisition.
As for running costs, facilities established in the areas surrounding the nuclear power generation and other power generation facilities of Rokkasho Village, Misawa City and elsewhere will receive power at a discounted rate for the first eight years of operation. In some cases this discount can be nearly 100%. Also, nearly all municipalities offer a preferential treatment through tax exemption and other tax relief for three to five years for fixed property tax and corporate enterprise tax.
Living environment for foreigners
| Living environment | Misawa City and the other municipalities surrounding the Misawa US military base are quite foreigner-friendly. Also, Rokkasho Village, which is implementing the “broader approach” of the ITER plan, is steadily making itself more foreigner-friendly in anticipation of the many researchers and their families who are expected to move to the area. |
|---|---|
| Health services catering to foreigners | There are hospitals in each municipality within Aomori Prefecture which are capable of handling English, German, Chinese and other languages. |
Links to Related Websites
- Aomori Prefectural Government
- Location guide for enterprises in Aomori Prefecture
- Aomori Cultural Sightseeing Guide
- Aomori International Exchange Association
