Investing in Japan
Regional Information
Chiba
Chiba, Business Opportunity Gateway
- Your Regional Guide: Shigeyuki Oribe/Hitoshi Horikawa
Inquiry form
Chiba Investment Support Center
WBG Marib East 23F, 2-6 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-city, Chiba Prefectutre 261-7123
TEL: +81-43-299-2910 FAX: +81-43-299-3411
- Basic Information
- Regional Profile
- Services for investment in Japan
- Available incentives
- Living environment for foreigners
- Links to Related Websites
Basic Information
| Population | 6.10 million (Male: 3.05 million, Female: 3.05 million) (2007) |
|---|---|
| Labor force | 4.20 million (Male: 2.15 million, Female: 2.05 million) (2007) |
| Area | 5,157km² (2005) |
| GDP | 19,917 billion yen (2005) |
| Major industries | Chemicals, petroleum and coal, steel, food products, agriculture (ranks third in total production in Japan) |
| Developing industries | Medical care and welfare sector, biotechnology sector, logistics, daily life and cultural sector, electronic devices and precision machinery, non-ferrous metals |
| Offices in Japan | Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| JETRO office | JETRO Chiba |
Regional Profile
Strength of the region's industries and economy
Chiba Prefecture has the advantage of being located adjacent to Tokyo, the national capital, and it is the site of both Narita International Airport, which handles international airline passengers and freight from around the world, and the Port of Chiba, which handles more freight than any other port in Japan. The prefecture also boasts an advanced network of extensive trunk highways, including the Tokyo Bay Aqua-line, making it a superior location for efficient access to Japanese and global markets. Makuhari New City is home to foreign-financed and foreign-owned companies in a wide range of industries, as well as to Makuhari Messe, Japan’s largest convention facility, making it an international business city with facilities for work, housing, study, and recreation. The prefecture is home to a number of universities and research institutes, and well-trained human resources are readily available. Working in harmony with clusters of industries in other regions, clusters of alliances among industry, academia, and government are being formed, focused on fields such as industrial craftsmanship, bio- and life sciences, and logistics.
Strength of the region's education/research institutes
Half of the universities in the prefecture concentrate on science and technology, in addition to 8 technical high schools with 29 specialties, produce large numbers of technically trained graduates every year. The University of Tokyo, Chiba University, and other universities of science and technology, participate in an alliance among industry, academia, and government at Tokatsu Techno Plaza. On the other hand, education for international understanding and alliances of high schools and universities are also being promoted, and some public schools even teach part of their regular curriculum in English. (The prefecture has 26 universities, 14 junior colleges, and 195 high schools.)
Industry-government-academia collaboration
Based on its Chiba New Industrial Promotion Strategy, the prefecture is enhancing connections with companies, universities, research institutes, municipal governments, chambers of commerce, and other organizations in every region, with the aim of creating industrial clusters that can take advantage of the strengths of that region.
- The Manufacturing Cluster: Created to form a sophisticated and far-reaching technological cluster, combining various industries such as machine metals/materials processing in the Tokatsu and Chiba regions and a wide range of industrial concentration and their supporting industries dependent on basic technologies, together with research facilities such as the Kashiwa campus of the University of Tokyo, Chiba University, and Tokatsu Techno Plaza.
- The IT and Electronics Industrial Cluster: Promotes new, high added-value businesses through alliances among hardware and software companies in the relevant industries, as well as supporting the growth of small and medium businesses and venture firms.
- The Bio and Life Sciences Cluster: Aims to develop and strengthen industries related to biotechnology, medical care, welfare, and health services through strengthened alliances among the concentration of genome research facilities in the Kazusa region, research institutes and bio-venture institutes in the Tokatsu region, and the medical research institutes in the Chiba area.
- The Green Chemistry Cluster: Promotes enhancement of international competitiveness using the technologies of the materials science industries in the Keiyo Rinkai region, along with research and development in the environmental and new energy sectors.
- The Logistics Industry Cluster: Chiba Prefecture is located in the National Capital Region, an area with a population of over 40 million consumers, and it is home to Narita International Airport and the Port of Chiba. This cluster aims at further improving the prefecture’s superior international and nationwide logistics network and bases and concentrating the logistics sector in one location.
- The Food Industry Cluster: Besides being located in a major concentration of consumers, the Chiba and Narita regions can also easily procure raw materials for the food industry in the form of marine and agricultural products. This cluster aims to take advantage of these strengths to develop a food industry that meets the needs of rapidly changing lifestyles and to improve safety and consumer confidence concerning food.
- The Tourism and Exchange Industry Cluster: Located near Tokyo and blessed with a lush and temperate natural landscape, Chiba Prefecture plans to promote an improved system to welcome tourists, create sightseeing and exchange venues, work to attract permanent residents, and support tourism-related industries.
Strength of the region's infrastructure
- Chiba prefecture is located in the capital region, an immense market, and access to Tokyo takes an hour or less. It also has Japan’s largest international airport, Narita International Airport, and a special major port, the Port of Chiba.
- Chiba has a well-developed transport infrastructure, including an extensive network of trunk highways, such as the Tokyo Bay Aqua-line, and a network of railroads. The TSUKUBA EXPRESS, a rail line linking Tokyo’s Akihabara area with Tsukuba Science City began operating in August 2005, dramatically improving access between northwestern Chiba prefecture and Tokyo or Tsukuba.
- Many logistics centers, including those belonging to foreign-financed companies, are located in Chiba prefecture, and take advantage of these superb transportation networks.
- The living environment in the city of Chiba includes a special international education district that allows flexible curriculum guidelines, including an international school, encompassing a kindergarten and elementary school, which will accept Japanese children who have been living overseas and the children of foreign business people. Makuhari International School, established as an Article 1 School under the School Education Law, is scheduled to open in April 2009.
<Land>
Chiba Prefecture has a fully developed network of expressways that link every area of the National Capital Region, cities in the prefecture, and Narita International Airport. When the Tokyo Outer Ring Road and Metropolitan Inter-City Expressway are completed, in conjunction with the Tokyo Bay Aqua-line, a network that dramatically increases highway transport capacity in the National Capital Region will be formed.
<Air>
Chiba Prefecture is home to Narita International Airport, which has more international air traffic than any other airport in Japan, and can be thought of as “Japan’s Front Door.” Narita International Airport is about 30 minutes from the city of Chiba, giving the city superb access to every part of the world. In addition, Narita International Airport handles a lot of freight containing precision machinery and fresh food products, and it is Japan’s largest port of entry in terms of value of goods handled.
<Sea>
The Port of Chiba (a special major port) is one of the largest in Japan in terms of the volume and value of freight handled. In addition to handling resources such as liquid natural gas, crude oil, and iron ore, the port is also expanding its role as a container logistics port.
<Railway>
Chiba Prefecture is linked to central Tokyo by JR and private rail lines. (The trip between Chiba and Tokyo takes about 40 minutes.) Every city of the prefecture can be accessed by rail. Access will improve even further with the New Narita Rapid Rail, which is scheduled to open in 2010, and will cut travel time from central Tokyo to Narita International Airport to a little more than 30 minutes.
Foreign company(s) operating in the industry
Foreign companies that have chosen to locate in Chiba Prefecture like not only the presence of Narita International Airport and the proximity to the National Capital Region, as well as low land prices and other site-related considerations; they are also attracted by the Chiba Investment Support Center (CISC) and support from local governments.
| Company name | CHANEL |
|---|---|
| Industry sector | Apparel and cosmetics manufacturer |
| Date of entry | 2003 |
| Motivation for selecting region |
|
| Support provided by local government or JETRO |
|
| Company name | Putzmeister Japan Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| Industry sector | Concrete pump manufacturer |
| Date of entry | 2007 |
| Motivation for selecting region |
|
| Support provided by local government or JETRO |
|
| Comments | After we had chosen our site, the Japan investment advisor at the CISC gave us a wide variety of advice on things such as financing and recruiting human resources, and his advice was right on the mark. The people at our headquarters in Germany, too, are extremely grateful for all this support. |
| Company name | Nobel Biocare Japan |
|---|---|
| Industry sector | Dental implants and other types of solutions for restorative and cosmetic dentistry |
| Date of entry | 2007 |
| Motivation for selecting region |
|
| Support provided by local government or JETRO |
|
| Comments | The site is as close as possible to both our headquarters in central Tokyo and Narita International Airport. In addition, we are well served by flights that bring our customers from all over Japan and overseas. Furthermore, the local government and JETRO diligently searched for prospective properties that met the many conditions that we laid down for sites compatible with our clean image. We are extremely grateful for this. |
Services for investment in Japan
| Menu of services | Fees charged? | Content of services |
|---|---|---|
| Providing market information | ||
| Advice on market participation | No | The CISC provides marketing information and advice about the prefecture. |
| Consulting by external experts and advisers | Yes | When foreign companies desire to set up businesses in Chiba prefecture, the CISC introduces them to experts who can provide the information that they need. (There is no charge for these introductions.) |
| Support for establishing a base | ||
| Listing of potential customers and partners | No | When foreign companies desire to set up businesses in Chiba Prefecture, the CISC introduces them to companies in the prefecture with the potential to become business partners or clients. |
| Listing of potential customers and partners | No | If necessary, the CISC makes appointments with companies in the prefecture that are potential business partners or clients. |
| Support for establishing a base | ||
| Providing incubation facilities or other facilities | Yes | The Foreign Company Startup Center offers 20 rooms in Makuhari New City that foreign companies in the first stages of setting up their business in Chiba Prefecture can rent at a low price for use as office space. |
| Providing incubation facilities or other facilities | No | If a company wishes, the CISC offers estimates of office rental and other expenses involved in setting up a company, employee compensation, and housing expenses for employees relocating from overseas. |
| Providing information on procedures for investing in Japan | No | The CISC provides information on the procedures for setting up a business, along with information about everyday life. |
| Arranging the meetings needed to establish a base (real estate, manpower services) | No | The CISC introduces foreign companies to suitable experts. |
| Introduction of available properties and advice on hiring personnel | No | The CISC provides basic information to foreign companies ahead of time, and, if necessary, introduces them to suitable real estate firms or temporary employment agencies. |
| Providing information on permits and licensing procedures | No | The CISC provides needed information while maintaining close ties with prefectural and municipal administrative personnel in charge of granting permission. |
| Providing information on subsidy programs | No | The CISC provides needed information while maintaining close ties with prefectural and municipal administrative personnel that offer subsidies. |
Support service
The Chiba Investment Support Center (CISC) is a one-stop service center for foreign companies that are considering setting up business in Chiba Prefecture. Japan investment advisors, all of whom have business experience in Japan and overseas, are always onsite to offer support.
- Introduction of possible sites for offices, plants, research institutes, and other aspects of business, using both public and private networks
- Introductions to experts on taxation, registration, working visas, social insurance, and other practical matters
- Support for hiring human resources
- Descriptions of Chiba Prefecture’s system of preferences (subsidies, the tax system, etc.)
- Advice on the form that one’s business or branch should assume in Japan (Japanese corporation, branch, base with temporarily assigned employees from overseas)
- Support for expansion of marketing channels and business tie-ins
- Information about life in Chiba Prefecture
The CISC also provides additional support to meet everyone’s needs.
Database of candidate partners
Available incentives
<A one-stop source of information (the Chiba Investment Support Center)>
- The CISC is a one-stop source of information, and our special feature is the advisors from the private sector who give foreign companies that are considering moving to Chiba Prefecture quick and friendly advice about a variety of business-related matters, including offices, visas, registration, and recruitment.
<System of Grants>
- In addition to grants for foreign companies to rent offices and plants, etc., the prefecture also offers measures such as subsidies and tax reductions.
<Incubation Facilities>
- The Foreign Affiliates Startup Center (FASuC) provides rental office space for foreign companies (20 units, 20 to 70 square meters each) in Makuhari New City, through an alliance between the prefectural government and building operators, suitable for startups with a small number of employees. Companies rent these offices at a discount, thanks to a subsidy from the prefectural government.
- Other incubation facilities set up in Chiba Prefecture include Tokatsu Techno Plaza and Tohdai Kashiwa Venture Plaza in the Tokatsu region, Creation Core Kazusa in the Kazusa region, and Chibadai Inohana Innovation Plaza in the Chiba area.
Living environment for foreigners
| International schools | A consortium of industry, academia, and government officials plans to open Makuhari international school in the Makuhari New City area of the city of Chiba, in April 2009. This school will serve kindergarteners and elementary school pupils, including Japanese children returning from living overseas and the children of foreign business people. It will be an Article 1 school, under the School Education Law. It was approved upon application from the prefecture and city as part of a special structural reform district. |
|---|---|
| Health services catering to foreigners | Website to search for hospitals capable of offering services in foreign languages |
Links to Related Websites
- Chiba Prefecture
- Chiba Investment Support Center (CISC)
- Foreign Affiliates Start up Center
- Chiba Industry Advancement Center
- Chiba Overseas Business Support Center (COBSC)
- Kazusa DNA Research Institute
- CHIBA INVESTMENT SUPPORT CENTER (CISC)
- Chiba International Center
- Welcome to Chiba (Sightseeing Information)
