Investing in Japan

Regional Information

Nagano

Abundant nature, abundant industry – 21st century Nagano

Your Regional Guide: Shigeo Koyama

Nagano Pref. Concierge

Business Inspiration Division, Commerce & Industry Department
692-2 Minaminagano Habashita, Nagano-city, Nagano Prefecture 380-8570
TEL: +81-26-235-7193 FAX: +81-26-235-7496

Basic Information
Regional Profile
Services for investment in Japan
Available incentives
Living environment for foreigners
Links to Related Websites

Basic Information

Population	2.18 million (Male: 1.06 million, Female: 1.12 million) (2007)
Labor force	1.21 million (Male: 0.69 million, Female: 0.52 million)
Area	13,561km² (2005)
GDP	8, 199 billion yen (2007)
Major industries	Electrical, information, general machinery, food products, tourism
Developing industries	Next-generation automobiles, robotics, medical equipment, aerospace-related, tourism
Offices overseas	Shanghai, China/Shenzhen, China
Offices in Japan	Tokyo/Nagoya/Osaka
JETRO office	JETRO Nagano Nagano-ken Chusho Kigyo Shido Center Bldg. 1F, 131-10, Nakagosho-Okada Nagano-city, Nagano Prefecture 380-0936 TEL: +81-26-227-6080 FAX: +81-26-224-2771 E-mail: ngn@jetro.go.jp

Regional Profile

Strength of the region's industries and economy

Gross production for Nagano Prefecture is approximately 8.2 trillion yen, and the total shipment value of manufactured products is 6.4 trillion yen. The percentage of gross production coming from secondary industries is above the national average, with manufacturing at a high of 28.9%. Since its days as the “silk kingdom” of Japan up until the present, Nagano has always flexibly adapted to the changing times thanks to its bold entrepreneurial spirit and manufacturing ‘DNA’ that has been handed down from each generation to the next.
Currently, Nagano has the most specialized concentration of manufacturing and assembly industries, including general machinery, electrical machinery, information and communications equipment, electronic components and devices, and transportation equipment. A number of companies involved in a diverse range of fundamental manufacturing technologies, such as cutting, pressing, plating, and die machining, have established corporate facilities in the prefecture.

Strength of the region's education/research institutes

A full support system for corporate activities

<Public Testing and Research Institutionsc>
The Nagano Prefecture General Industrial Technology Center provides support for new technology development, new product development and other corporate activities through distinctive technological research and development, technical guidance, human resources development, facility provision, etc.

<Business Creation Support Centers>
In order to help entrepreneurs build momentum in starting new businesses and to help them get up and running faster, the Okaya Business Creation Support Center located next to the Nagano Prefecture General Industrial Technology Center, Precision and Electronics Technology Department (Okaya City), the Nagano Business Creation Support Center located within the Nagano Prefecture General Industrial Technology Center, Material Technology Department (Nagano City), and the Matsumoto Business Creation Support Center located in the Nagano Prefecture General Industrial Technology Center, Information Technology Department (Matsumoto City) have been established. These centers provide support through various means such as technical and operational guidance, and testing facility and equipment provision.

<Higher Education Institutions>
Nagano Prefecture has three universities that engage in science and technology human resources development (Shinshu University, Nagano University, Tokyo University of Science, Suwa), the Nagano Prefectural Institute of Technology, a number of technical junior colleges, and science and technology high schools. These institutions produce a large number of new human resources each year.

Industry-government-academia collaboration

･Intellectual cluster creation program (phase II): Advanced nanotechnology and materials technology development aimed at all of Nagano Prefecture is being carried out.The aim is to commercialize globally superior smart devices and super modules and to attract a high concentration of competitive companies to the prefecture.

Industry cluster planning: The aim is to utilize the precision machine potential of the areas along the Chuo Expressway (Suwa, Ina, and the area around Matsumoto) to turn them into supply centers for next generation, leading-edge devices for automobiles, semiconductors, digital consumer electronics, the aerospace industry, the medical industry and others by engaging in high-mix low-volume production.

Strength of the region's infrastructure

Nagano Prefecture is located between the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Chukyo region. It is directly connected to the metropolitan areas of three major cities by a high-speed transport network and allows for easy access to the regions along the Sea of Japan.

<Land>

A number of routes exist leading to the Tokyo metropolitan area, the Chukyo region, the Kinki region, the regions along the Pacific Ocean and the regions along the Sea of Japan, minimizing logistics and distribution risks. The Chuo Expressway, which runs longitudinally through the prefecture’s south-central region, provides direct access to the metropolitan areas of three major cities, and the Nagano Expressway allows travelers to go between Nagano and Nagoya (Komaki) in three hours and ten minutes. The Joshinetsu Expressway allows easy access between Nagano and Tokyo in two hours and thirty minutes.

<Air>

Shinshu Matsumoto Airport offers direct access to Osaka (Itami), Sapporo (New Chitose), and Fukuoka; flights to Osaka take 55 minutes while flights to Sapporo and Fukuoka take approximately 90 minutes.

<Sea>

Nagoya Prefecture has an inland image associated with it; however, is adjacent to the regions along the Sea of Japan and provides easy access to the countries of Asia.

<Railway>

Taking the Nagano shinkansen (bullet train) (Hokuriku shinkansen) allows travelers to go between Tokyo and Nagoya in as little as 90 minutes. Nagano and Nagoya by the JR express takes approximately two hours and 20 minutes; from Matsumoto, Nagoya can be reached in approximately two hours. If the Tokaido shinkansen from Nagoya is used, travelers can go between Nagano and Osaka in approximately three hours and fifty minutes and approximately three hours from Matsumoto.

Services for investment in Japan

Menu of services	Fees charged?	Content of services
Support for establishing a base
Introduction of available properties and advice on hiring personnel	No	Advice is given through the Management Assistance Department of the Nagano Commerce and Labor Division
Providing information on permits and licensing procedures	No	Advice is given through the Management Assistance Department of the Nagano Commerce and Labor Division
Providing information on subsidy programs	No	Advice is given through the Management Assistance Department of the Nagano Commerce and Labor Division

Available incentives

Nagano Prefecture is actively working to attract companies from outside the prefecture and from overseas. Companies in the manufacturing industry and others that establish or expand factories or other facilities within the prefecture will be exempted from real-estate acquisition taxes and will receive subsidies.
<Subsidies and Tax Reduction Measures>
(Shinshu Manufacturing Industry Investment Support Project)
Companies in the manufacturing industry and others that establish or expand factories or other facilities within the prefecture will be exempted from real-estate acquisition taxes and will receive subsidies.
<Financing System>
New Business Activation Fund (aimed at promoting the establishment of businesses in the prefecture)

Target Business: equipment funding for medium-sized businesses that establish or move a factory into an industrial park
Conditions: land or building investment of 100 million yen or more
Finance Amount: funds needed for equipment
Maximum Amount: general cases ＝ 300 million yen; special designation by governor ＝ 500 million yen
Financing Conditions: annual interest of 2.3%, finance period of 15 years or less

Living environment for foreigners

Living environment	Nagano Prefecture is an inland prefecture located in the central region of Honshu – Japan’s main island – and surrounded by eight other prefectures. It is surrounded on four sides by mountains, such as the Northern and Southern Alps, which average 3,000m in height. It has a total land area of 13,585km2 (Japan’s fourth largest prefecture), is 78% covered in woodlands. Due its inland location, winters are cold and summers are cool, and it is a popular destination for sports and leisure during all four seasons, with roughly 100 million tourists visiting it a year.

Living environment

Nagano Prefecture is an inland prefecture located in the central region of Honshu – Japan’s main island – and surrounded by eight other prefectures. It is surrounded on four sides by mountains, such as the Northern and Southern Alps, which average 3,000m in height. It has a total land area of 13,585km2 (Japan’s fourth largest prefecture), is 78% covered in woodlands. Due its inland location, winters are cold and summers are cool, and it is a popular destination for sports and leisure during all four seasons, with roughly 100 million tourists visiting it a year.