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Investing in Japan
Regional Information
Matsuyama city
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In charge of company locating, Regional Economy Division, Matsuyama City

7-2, Nibanchou-4choume, Matsuyama-city, Ehime Prefecture 790-8571
TEL: +81-89-948-6549 FAX: +81-89-934-1844

- Basic Information
- Regional Profile
- Available incentives
- Living environment for foreigners
- Links to Related Websites
Basic Information
| Population | 0.51 million (Male: 0.24 million, Female: 0.27 million) (April 2008) |
|---|---|
| Labor force | 0.25 million (Male: 0.14 million, Female: 0.11 million) (2005) |
| Area | 429.03km² |
| GDP | 1,466 billion yen (2004) |
| Major industries | Wholesale/retail, medical/welfare, restaurant/hotel, manufacturing and construction |
| Developing industries | IT, biotechnology, energy, robot and healthcare |
| Offices in Japan | Tokyo |
| JETRO office | JETRO Ehime |
Regional Profile
Strength of the region's industries and economy
Matsuyama City mapped out an e-Community Building Strategy as the city’s original industrial promotion vision in March 2002 to promote the IT/communication business and other urban-type industries. Based on the strategy, the City launched an optic fiber early installation promotion project to subsidize half of the installation cost of telecommunication companies in the City for three years only. Thanks to this project, an advanced information infrastructure extending more than 3,000 km was established in virtually two and a half years. An optic fiber service became accessible from anywhere in the City and an environment for IT business was perfected.
This enhancement of the advanced information/telecommunication environment eliminated the geographical handicap to provincial areas and served as the impetus for information-related industries and other companies to move to Matsuyama City. The City aggressively promoted an initiative to invite companies and succeeded in welcoming call centers and other information/communication companies.
Industry-government-academia collaboration
Professor Yaeta ENDO, Director of the Cell-Free Science and Technology Research Center of Ehime University, established the world's first Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System. The epoch-making technology enables us to create protein of the necessary type freely in a test tube only. The City promotes the industry-academia-government collaboration more than ever to establish a new industry base of biotechnology based on this technology. As a part of the effort, personnel at the Local Economy Department are dispatched to the Center at Ehime University to provide supplementary support. Furthermore, Ehime University, Ehime Prefecture, Matsuyama City and Matsuyama Chamber of Commerce and Industry got together and hosted the Protein Island Matsuyama International Symposium. All aim at establishing the base of research on proteins.
Matsuyama City and Ehime University concluded a collaboration agreement in July 2007 to further contribute to the development of the local community. They collaborate with each other for the revitalization of industries, improvement of medical/welfare service, assurance of safety and ease of mind for citizens, improvement of the urban environment and promotion of education.
Strength of the region's infrastructure
<Air>
Two regular international routes to Matsuyama Airport providing five flights a week
Seoul (three flights a week) and Shanghai (two flights a week)
<Sea>
Seven regular international freight lines to Matsuyama Port, providing eleven services a week
Pusan (four times a week), Taiwan/Manila (once), Taiwan (once), Taiwan/Hong Kong (once), Shanghai (once) and Kobe (domestic feeder, three times a week)
Available incentives
- The City prepared a support menu for the companies that establish, extend, or move facilities to Matsuyama City. The menu includes a subsidy to encourage companies to locate in Matsuyama, a subsidy to promote new business, a subsidy to promote employment, and a subsidy to promote environmental conservation.
- It also established a subsidy for urban-type industries to cover the rent of facilities. Part of the rent will be repaid to the ventures moving into the designated facilities.
<Subsidy and tax exemption>
- Subsidy to encourage companies to locate in Matsuyama: The city takes necessary promotional measures for companies that establish, extend, or move facilities to Matsuyama City and provide support to such companies to locate in Matsuyama.
- Part of the rent will be repaid to the ventures moving into the designated facilities
Living environment for foreigners
| Living environment | Matsuyama International Center |
|---|---|
| Health services catering to foreigners | Ehime Emergency Medical Care Network provides information about medical institutes understanding foreign languages. |