Investing in Japan
Regional Information
Shizuoka city
A self-reliant city enthusiastically pursuing mutually beneficial exchange
- Your Regional Guide
Inquiry form
Industrial Policy Section, Commerce & Industry Department, Economic Affairs Bureau
6-8, Asahi-cho, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka-city, Shizuoka Prefecture 424-8701
TEL: +81-54-354-2407 FAX: +81-54-354-2132
- Basic Information
- Regional Profile
- Services for investment in Japan
- Available incentives
- Living environment for foreigners
- Links to Related Websites
Basic Information
| Population | 0.719 million (Male: 0.351 million, Female: 0.368 million) (March 2007) |
|---|---|
| Labor force | 0.39 million (2005) |
| Area | 1388.78km² (March 2007) |
| GDP | 2,817 billion (2003FY) |
| Major industries | Electric machinery manufacturing, food product manufacturing, plastic model manufacturing, financial services, wholesaling/retailing |
| Developing industries | Information, functional food, environment |
| Offices in Japan | Tokyo |
| JETRO office | JETRO Shizuoka |
Regional Profile
Strength of the region's industries and economy
An optimal venue for business activities that involve interaction between people and industry, goods and information, and cities and nature, Shizuoka City offers a diverse range of business opportunities.
The Tomei Expressway and the Tokaido Shinkansen run through Shizuoka City, where a well-balanced variety of industries have converged, taking advantage of good access to both Tokyo and Osaka. Educational/research institutions that train and produce the personnel needed by industry, together with industry support and convention facilities, have established an ever greater presence in recent years, fashioning an environment that facilitates entrepreneurship.
Strength of the region's education/research institutes
Shizuoka City is dotted with graduate schools, universities, junior colleges, and technical colleges that train and produce the personnel needed by industry. Universities have designated liaisons for joint research with private companies and academic exchange. The city has seen an agglomeration of universities with life sciences programs and both public and private laboratories/research institutions, which have all collaborated to create Seeds and new businesses, and Shizuoka City offers an abundant pool of personnel with know-how on R&D and advanced technology.
Industry-government-academia collaboration
<Food Science Hills
>
Shizuoka City has seen an influx of food, pharmaceutical, and chemical product companies and, making effective use of natural resources, the city is seeking to create venture companies and new businesses connected with health/medical care and boost its industrial competitiveness. The Food Science Hills has produced notable research results through industrial-academic-governmental collaboration, with numerous patent applications stemming therefrom (bonito gonadal extract oil, functional yogurt, bonito/tuna anserin, stress analysis system, functional inulin, stress relief food, etc.).
Strength of the region's infrastructure
Shizuoka City, located midway between the Tokyo and Nagoya metropolitan areas along the nation’s premier axis, has a highly-developed transportation infrastructure that includes the Tomei Expressway, the specially-designated port Shimizu Port, and National Highway No. 1, as well as enhanced logistics functions. With the opening of the new Tomei Expressway (No. 2) now under construction, the Chubu Odan Expressway, and the Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport scheduled to begin operation in 2009, the area will be able to offer companies global logistics functions that directly link ground, sea, and air transport.
<Land>
The city is situated midway on the Tomei Expressway running between Tokyo and Nagoya and construction is underway on the Chubu Odan Expressway.
The Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport (under construction) will be approximately 40 minutes by car from the city center.
<Air>
Four domestic routes and nine international routes will fly to and from Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport when it opens in 2009.
<Sea>
The specially-designated port of Shimizu is equipped with a round-the-clock cargo loading/unloading system and an international container terminal capable of handling large containers. Within easy reach of major trunk line roads such as National Highway No. 1 and the Tomei Expressway (crossing Japan east-west), the port is one of the nation’s most conveniently located ports in terms of transport access.
<Railway>
Both Tokyo and Nagoya can be reached in as little as 50 minutes on the Tokaido Shinkansen (Hikari express) and Osaka in as little as 1 hour 45 minutes to Osaka.
Services for investment in Japan
| Menu of services | Fees charged? | Content of services |
|---|---|---|
| Providing market information | ||
| Consulting by external experts and advisers | No | B-nest (Shizuoka City Industrial-Academic Exchange Center) advisors provide introductions to persons well-informed on conditions in the area. |
| Support for establishing a base | ||
| Providing incubation facilities or other facilities | No | The Industrial Policy Department provides information on public support facilities in the city and introductions to consultation services. |
| Introduction of available properties and advice on hiring personnel | No | The Industrial Policy Department provides information on land and buildings, and introductions to consultation services in connection with hiring. |
| Providing information on permits and licensing procedures | No | Advisors from the Industrial Policy Department and B-nest (Shizuoka City Industrial-Academic Exchange Center) provide information. |
| Providing information on subsidy programs | No | The Industrial Policy Department provides explanations of subsidy programs offered by Shizuoka City and Shizuoka Prefecture as well as other information. |
Support service
- SOHO Shizuoka: Leases out facilities, supports second startups and matches up businesses with potential partners/customers
- B-nest: This business support facility comprises the Shizuoka City Industrial-Academic Exchange Center and the Shizuoka City Gokomachi Library. B-nest offers a broad range of business support (personnel training, industrial-academic collaboration, and information provision) to persons interested in starting their own businesses, company managers confronting business difficulties, and small and medium-sized companies interested in undertaking new businesses, and generates new business opportunities.
- Shimizu Industry & Information Plaza: The Plaza forms networks between and within industry sectors, promotes computerization at small and medium-sized enterprises to rationalize management, and offers startup support and business matching as an incubation facility.
Available incentives
- Subsidies (up to 3 billion yen) are available to partially cover land acquisition costs, capital investments, new hiring expenses, and building rental fees for companies setting up factories, research institutes, etc., within the city.
*Subsidies for companies connected with the Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport (FY2008-FY2013)
Eligibility: branches, sales offices, etc., of airline companies, foreign travel agencies, etc.
Nature of subsidies: subsidies for one-half (up to 2 million yen per year for two years) of setup expenses (building rental fees, lease charges for office equipment, automobiles, etc.)
- Industry support organizations such as the Shizuoka City Industrial-Academic Exchange Center and the Shizuoka City Shimizu Industry & Information Plaza as well as incubation facilities have come together to establish a robust support system for consultations on business/company start-ups, coordination of industrial-academic collaboration, consultations on developing sales channels, etc.
Living environment for foreigners
| Living environment | The Shizuoka City Association for Multicultural Exchange offers foreign-language consultations (English, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Korean) on day-to-day matters. Other efforts by the Association to assist foreign residents in their everyday lives include holding Japanese language classes and preparing a “Guide to Living in Shizuoka” for foreigners. |
|---|---|
| International schools | There is an international school (offering language instruction) in the city, and students can be admitted at any time. |
| Health services catering to foreigners | Hospitals offering a total of 20 medical specialties, from internal medicine to ophthalmology and dentistry, are capable of dealing with patients in foreign languages. |
Links to Related Websites
- City of Sｈizuoka
- Shizuoka International Business Association
- Shizuoka City Association for Multicultural Exchange (SAME)
- the center for creative communications
