Investing in Japan
Regional Information
Kitakyushu city
Steer a course for Kitakyushu City.
- Your Regional Guide: Yuko Suga
Inquiry form
Kitakyushu Trade and Investment One-Stop Service Center
8F AIM Building, 3-8-1 Asano, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka Prefecture 802-0001
TEL: +81-93-551-3605 FAX: +81-93-551-3615
- Basic Information
- Regional Profile
- Services for investment in Japan
- Available incentives
- Living environment for foreigners
- Links to Related Websites
Basic Information
| Population | 0.98 million (Male: 0.46 million, Female: 0.52 million) (April 2008) |
|---|---|
| Labor force | 0.47 million (2005) |
| Area | 487.71km² (2007) |
| GDP | 3,523.6 billion yen (FY 2005) |
| Major industries | Steel, chemical, machinery, ceramics, and information |
| Developing industries | Establishment of a base for creating new industries, development of R&D-oriented enterprises, and advancement of existing industries |
| Offices overseas | Dalian, China/Shanghai, China (Founded jointly with Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka City, and Kyushu Electric Power) |
| Offices in Japan | Tokyo |
| JETRO office | JETRO Kitakyushu |
Regional Profile
Strength of the region's industries and economy
Yahata Iron Works, Japan’s first government-operated modern iron works, started operation in 1901, followed by a number of companies, such as Yasukawa Electric, an industrial robot manufacturer (1915), and TOTO, a sanitary ware manufacturer (1917). Kitakyushu City developed in line with the key industries including steel, chemical, metal, and ceramics and played a significant role in the modernization of Japan. In recent years, the highly value-added industries, such as automobiles, total yearly production of which exceeded one million units, and semiconductors, have grown. The environmental industry utilizes the experience and know-how acquired when overcoming serious pollution in the past, and these types of industries with distinctive characteristics are also growing.
Strength of the region's education/research institutes
Kitakyushu Science and Research Park Project Location: Hibikino Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu City.
The project aims at composite community building to attract the educational/research institutes related to leading-edge science and technologies and to supply appropriate land space for housing, while maintaining the surrounding natural and urban environment. Aiming at the creation of the education/research environment at the highest level and nurturing human resources of the next-generation, the faculties of science and technology of national, public, and private universities work together and deepen cooperation with each other, including joint use of facilities. This is the first experiment in Japan.
· Faculty of Environmental Engineering, University of Kitakyushu, (public university)
· Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, (national university)
· Recycling and Eco-technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Fukuoka University (private university)
· Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University
· Cranfield University at Kitakyushu (U.K.)
· Fukuoka Research Center for Recycling Systems
Industry-government-academia collaboration
Kitakyushu City supports the industry-academia collaboration that utilizes knowledge accumulated in the universities, establishes an industrialization promotion organization based on the industry-academia collaboration, and makes utmost efforts to establish a base for next-generation industries for the future concentration of a variety of industries in the city. The focus is placed on encouraging the semiconductor industry for the purpose of establishing a knowledge base and international base for car electronics that supports advancement of the local automobile industry, creation/cultivation of the environmental industry suitable as the environmental capital of Japan, fostering the robot industry utilizing elemental technology owned by the local area, and leading-edge technologies in the IT services.
- Kitakyushu Science and Research Park and concentration of the semiconductor industry.
To promote the development of the semiconductor industry in a comprehensive way in the city, the Semiconductor Engineering Center was established as a core institute of the Kitakyushu Science and Research Park. It promotes the industry-academia collaboration, nurtures practical human resources, and develops semiconductor application technologies to promote creation of a semiconductor industrial cluster.
- Eco-town and concentration of the environmental industry and technologies.
Under the control of the Kitakyushu Eco-Town Project started in 1997, the City invited recycle-related companies handling electronic appliances, automobiles, and OA equipment and promotes demonstration experiments related to waste recycling through the industry-government-academia collaboration. Hereafter, contribution to the resolution of global environmental problems and acquisition of new business opportunities are expected based on further promotion of the project, utilization of accumulated environmental technologies, and new methods of environmentally friendly manufacturing.
Strength of the region's infrastructure
The Port of Kitakyushu has 200 scheduled international lines and the Kitakyushu Airport offers 24-hour operation. Networks of expressways and railways have been expanded. All these enable flexible physical distribution using land-sea-and-air transportation. Located on the rim of the Yellow Sea, the Port has a number of Asian routes and is on the key route from Asia to North America. Although there are different routes to North America, the one starting from the Sea of Japan and going through the Tsugaru Straits can shorten the total shipping time by two days at maximum, compared with the one across the Pacific Ocean. Hibikinada is equipped with the only deep quay on the side of the Sea of Japan and serves as a hub of East Asia, which can be directly connected to every corner of the world. Early-morning and late-evening flights are allowed to/from the Kitakyushu Airport because it is located offshore. It has regular flights to Shanghai and Vladivostok as well as Tokyo and Okinawa.
<Land>
An expressway network has been established, enabling us to make a day trip to major cities. Some parts of the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway are still under construction, starting from Kitakyushu, reaching to Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima prefectures and ending in Kagoshima City. The total length will be approximately 436 kilometers. This will dramatically reduce the transportation time, facilitating interregional exchange, expanding the market of agricultural/fishery products and the possibility of company location, and achieving a striking effect as a result.
<Air>
Kitakyushu Airport: Opened in 2006, this offshore airport operates 24 hours and is fully equipped with such functions as customs, immigration, and quarantine.
<Sea>
Hibiki Container Terminal: Operation started in 2005, it is a high-standard terminal equipped with so deep quay (minus 15 meter) that even an Over-Panamax container vessel can come alongside. An increasing number of physical distribution facilities and plants are being located in the huge industrial park behind.
<Railway>
Kitakyushu Cargo Terminal: It is located where Honshu meets Kyushu and all freight trains operating between the two islands stop at this terminal. Equipped with the latest facilities, this is surely one of the core stations on the railway network connecting 140 stations nationwide. The Effective & Speedy Container Handling System (E&S System) is introduced, where containers are loaded/unloaded directly to/from a train on the rail. This system can reduce time and costs required.
Foreign company(s) operating in the industry
| Company name | The Research Pacific Japan |
|---|---|
| Industry sector | Proposal and planning of marketing research |
| Date of entry | July 2003 |
| Motivation for selecting region | Well-developed support system of Kitakyushu City |
| Support provided by local government or JETRO | The business support center (Startup Office) offering low rents and the possibility for long-term occupancy. |
Services for investment in Japan
| Menu of services | Fees charged? | Content of services |
|---|---|---|
| Providing market information | ||
| Advice on market participation | No | Simple information can be provided. For specialized matters, specialists are introduced (fee-based service). |
| Consulting by external experts and advisers | No | Individual consulting is offered, and specialists are introduced (fee-based service). |
| Arranging appointments with potential customers and partners | No | Individual consulting is offered, and specialists can be introduced (fee-based service). |
| Support for establishing a base | ||
| Monitoring surveys (evaluation of products and services) | No | Individual consulting is offered, and specialists can be introduced (fee-based service). |
| Listing of potential customers and partners | No | Individual consulting is offered, and clients and partners can be introduced. |
| Listing of potential customers and partners | No | Individual consulting is offered, and an appointment with persons concerned can be arranged. |
| Support for establishing a base | ||
| Providing incubation facilities or other facilities | Yes | Located on the eighth floor of the AIM Building, a five-minute walk from Kokura Station (Shinkansen, conventional railway lines). Services are offered to foreign public organizations or foreign businesses planning to open a office in Kitakyushu City. Rent from 400 yen per day. For public agencies, no rent is charged. The current and past tenants include businesses from South Korea, China, Italy, Nepal, Canada, Sri Lanka, and Egypt. |
| Providing incubation facilities or other facilities | No | Individual consulting is offered, and specialists can be introduced (fee-based service). |
| Providing information on procedures for investing in Japan | No | Appropriate procedural information will be offered according to the industry and style of business. For highly specialized matters, specialists can be introduced (fee-based service). |
| Arranging the meetings needed to establish a base (real estate, manpower services) | No | Suitable real estate and employment agencies will be introduced (free or fee-based services). |
| Introduction of available properties and advice on hiring personnel | No | Land for sale in Kitakyushu City, which has perfect access to land/sea/air physical distribution infrastructure, shall be introduced. |
| Providing information on permits and licensing procedures | No | Simple information can be provided. For specialized matters, specialists can be introduced (fee-based service). |
| Providing information on subsidy programs | No | Information will be provided on subsidies offered by Kitakyushu City and Fukuoka Prefecture. |
Support service
<Kitakyushu Business Support Center (BSC) >
The Center offers startup offices to foreign businesses branching out into the Japanese market. It is only five minutes away on foot from JR Kokura Station but charges low rent.
Location: 8th floor of the Asia-pacific Import Mart (AIM), 3-8-1 Asano, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City
Term of rental: 2 years maximum
Deposit: 50,000 yen
Rent: Room for one person (10 square meters) 18,000 yen/month Room for two persons (14 square meters) 25,200 yen/month
A desk, chairs, simple reception desk and chairs, cabinet, and closet are offered free of charge.
* PCs (shared and free) and copy machines (shared and charged) are also available.
Contact: Kitakyushu Business Support Center at 093-551-4837"
Database of candidate partners
- Kitakyushu Technology Marketplace
Technopedia is a website for the transmission of information about technologies in the Kitakyushu area accessible from overseas. The site helps to match the needs of overseas companies with technical seeds offered by companies in this area, as well as technical exchanges to contribute to the activation of both companies.
- Kitakyushu Trade Directory
Companies can be easily searched by keywords.
Available incentives
Companies can be easily searched by keywords.
<Subsidies and exemption>
1) Subsidy for investment in plants and equipment: 5% of the amount invested in plants and equipment including land acquisition (10% in the case of the City’s industrial lot) or 50% of the annual rent (for the fist year only)
* Automobile-related companies can be prioritized for subsidy application.
2) Subsidy for employment: 300,000 yen per capita
<Financing program>
A maximum of 80% of the applicable cost and 1 billion yen maximum per company at 1.45% per annum
<Tax exemption according to the Enterprise Location Promotion Law>
Applicable to companies building or expanding a factory or office in the concentration zone in the automobile, semiconductor, biotechnology, robot, nanotechnology, or web content industries and in the business type of manufacturing, information/communication, information communication technology provider, transportation, wholesale, or natural science institute.
<Other>
Kitakyushu Business Support Center (Incubation facility for foreign and foreign-owned companies)
Living environment for foreigners
| Living environment | Kitakyushu City is a compact and very comfortable area where nature and modern urban functions merge. The climate is mild, and residents can enjoy the change of the seasons. Natural disasters, including earthquakes, typhoons, and heavy snow, are infrequent, and thus the area provides an environment most appropriate for living and enterprise location. The Kitakyushu International Association (KIA), the America-Japan Society, the German-Japan Society, the France-Japan Society, the Australia-Japan Society, and other organizations supporting foreign residents have branches here. Living costs in Kitakyushu are 89.4 compared to Tokyo (100), showing more than a 10% cost advantage (Regional Difference Index of Consumer Prices in 2006 by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications.) |
|---|---|
| Health services catering to foreigners | A number of hospitals provide services in English, including the City Hospital. |
| Other | The Kitakyushu International Association (KIA) offers social support once a month for residents who are foreign nationals as follows:
|
Links to Related Websites
- City of Kitakyushu
- Invest Kitakyushu
- Kitakyushu Telework Center
- Kitakyushu International Association
