Osaka City General Business Information

Osaka, city with the pulling power to attract people, goods and information and produce new industries and culture
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47 Prefectures						17 Cities
Aichi Akita Aomori Chiba Ehime Fukui Fukuoka Fukushima	Gifu Gunma Hiroshima Hokkaido Hyogo Ibaraki Ishikawa Iwate	Kagawa Kagoshima Kanagawa Kochi Kumamoto Kyoto Mie Miyagi	Miyazaki Nagano Nagasaki Nara Niigata Oita Okayama Okinawa	Osaka Saga Saitama Shiga Shimane Shizuoka Tochigi Tokushima	Tokyo Tottori Toyama Wakayama Yamagata Yamaguchi Yamanashi	Chiba Fukuoka Hamamatsu Hiroshima Kawasaki Kitakyushu Kobe Kyoto	Nagoya Niigata Osaka Saitama Sakai Sapporo Sendai Shizuoka Yokohama

Population	263 million (Male: 128 million, Female: 135 million) (2005)
Labor force	135 million (2004)
Area	222km2 (2005)
GDP	21,363 billion yen (2003)
Major industries	Chemical engineering, publication/printing and machine equipment manufacturing
Developing industries	IT-related, health/preventive medical care, and robot technology
Transportation	Kansai International Airport, Osaka International Airport (Itami Air Port), Osaka Port (international trading port) Osaka Port, which is located in the center of Osaka Bay, is the base of international distribution in the Kansai region.
Education	Number: Universities 7, junior colleges 11, vocational schools 162 There are many technical schools and various other schools which provide technical and practical education in engineering, commerce and medical care. Moreover, there are many graduate schools for adults, such as the Osaka City University.
Expanding foreign enterprises	Firms include Universal Studios Japan, Schering-Plough K.K. and Nihon Schering K.K. *113 foreign-affiliated companies maintain their Japanese head offices in Osaka.
Consulate	Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Netherland, Republic of Korea, Phillippines, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, U.K., United States, Vietnam

Osaka City is aiming to manifest itself as a metropolis that gathers people, goods and information from both inside and outside the city, brimming with energy as it creates new industries and cultural treasures. To this end it is working hard to promote business, tourism, and special events such as conventions. Positive initiatives are being pursued to attract companies to the city, such as the Osaka Business and Investment Center (O-BIC), which is jointly operated by Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In recent years Osaka has put great effort into nurturing new industries, particularly preventive medicine and robot technology (RT).
In the robotics field, in July 2005 Osaka hosted "RoboCup 2005 OSAKA", an international event aimed at stimulating research into robotics and artificial intelligence. In conjunction with RoboCup, Osaka also welcomed visiting delegations from leading overseas robotics companies, and simultaneously hosted Core-Tech 2005 Japan, an exposition showcasing fundamental technologies.
In 2006, Osaka continued its multi faceted efforts to create and expand business opportunities in new industries. In robotics, from late November to early December it held the international next-generation robotics fair "IRT Japan 2006". In the preventive medicine field, a Business Plan Competition was held among biotechnology firms hoping to set up operations in Osaka, and outstanding firms were invited to "Bio Japan 2006", which was held at the Osaka International Convention Center in September.
Regarding company incentives for locating to Osaka, various measures to support foreign companies have been put in place, including the assistance systems that are explained in further detail below, and the meticulous follow up services that are provided to companies after they have located to the city.
If your company is seeking a firm base for your operations in Japan, a warm welcome awaits you in Osaka.
Osaka Key industrial fields
Medical care and welfare, living and culture, information and telecommunications, environment, human resources, biotech and nanotech, and robotic technology
Osaka City designates medical care/welfare, life and culture, information and communication, environment, human resources, biotechnology/nanotechnology and robot technology as priority industrial fields, and positively entices enterprises, universities and research facilities of those fields.
The Osaka International Business Promotion Center (IBPC), which is the city's base for business attraction, provides custom-made problem-solving solutions to help both domestic and foreign businesses, universities, and research institutions which establish a business presence in Osaka. The center's activities include offering investment advice, introducing business contacts, and providing short-term office space.
Companies which have a business plan and the desire to invest in Osaka are invited to come to Osaka and gain a deeper understanding of Osaka as an investment destination. They are also given concrete support for launching a business, such as introducing business partners in Osaka by arranging meetings with individual firms and providing consultation concerning business plans.
<Key infrastructure>

• ·Osaka is very well serviced by major rail and road networks. Umeda (Osaka Station) is the transportation hub of the Kansai region, connecting Japan Railway, two private rail lines and three subway lines.
• ·With Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport providing connections to 31 countries and 75 cities worldwide, and the Port of Osaka located just 10 km from the city center, Osaka offers extremely attractive conditions for commercial transportation.
• ·Osaka also boasts advanced infrastructure specifically servicing the robotics industry. Robot Laboratory, which provides support for research and development activity aimed at the realization of next generation robot technology, is located in front of Osaka Station.
• ·Osaka City and private enterprise have joined forces to form an association (Osaka Eki Kitachiku Machizukuri Suishin Kyogikai) to design and build an integrated industrial and cultural district in Umeda North Yard, the district north of Osaka Station. This complex is to include a development base for next-generation robotics, and is scheduled to open in 2011.

International schools	A total of 7 international schools are operative in the Kansai region, including the Osaka YMCA in Osaka City.
Health services catering to foreigners	There are a number of medical institutions able to provide consultations in foreign languages, including Osaka City General Hospital, Osaka City University Hospital and various private institutions. For further details, see the list of medical institutions.
Other	International House, Osaka (i.house) responds to all manner of inquiries from long-term foreign residents, and also provides practical information on aspects of living in Osaka, such as housing, medical and educational services.