USER’S VOICE Japan Area : 377,929.99km2 JETRO IBSC Kobe The foreign capital companies that accomplish the Japan advancement is developing their business that make Population : 127,705,000 the best use of the location of Kobe in wide field like medical treatment, manufacturing, trade, and etc. GDP : 4381 billion$ Invest Japan Business Support Center They start their business journey from JETRO, and we introduce the companies that succeed in the base instal- lation in Japan. Paris/London/Milan 12hrs. 30min. “Succeeded in opening an o ce in “Focused on the reliability of the just three months.” Japanese brand.” Los Angeles : 10hrs. 30min. “Strong support system enabled us to “Aiming to be a bridge for economic Cairo : Bangkok : set up operations in a short period of exchanges between Japan and China.” 13hrs. 10min. 6hrs. Singapore : time.” 6hrs. 30min. Sydney : 11hrs. 30min. Electrosuisse Japan Co., Ltd. Beauty & Health Innovation Co., Ltd. Times from Kansai International Airport to other major airport Mr. Markus Aellig, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Jianzhong Yang, President Electrosuisse, formerly a public organization providing testing In April 2009, the large Chinese cosmetics manufacturer Jiangsu and accreditation services for the electrical industry, is engaged in Longliqi established its second overseas research and development

creating product specications and manuals for companies. base in Kobe, the rst one having been established in New York. is Sapporo With a proven track record of reliability and quality service, is part of a strategy to survive in the Chinese cosmetic market, which Electrosuisse, Switzerland's leading company in its eld, has contains a mix of foreign-a liated and Chinese companies compet- Hyogo excellent domestic and foreign companies as clients. Particularly, ing with each other with the rise of the middle class. Unlike the days Kobe Area : 8,395.61km2 2 Sysmex Corporation, a Kobe-based leading medical-equipment when goods produced sold as long as they were cheap, it is becoming Area : 552.80km Population : 5,598,179 maker that exports over 50 percent of its products to Europe, is essential as a market strategy to increase the quality and reliability of Population : 1,533,034 GDP : 167 billion$ our biggest client. us, from the very beginning, we considered goods. We expect our products that have been researched and GDP : 55 billion$ Kobe as a major potential location for our new o ce. developed in Japan, whose high levels of technology and quality are Tokyo It took us only three months to complete the process from valued worldwide, to be strong in the Chinese market. Kobe Nagoya Toyooka incorporation to opening our o ce. One of the major factors We decided to establish our base in Kobe because our research sta Fukuoka Osaka that enabled us to establish our o ce within such a short time have long experience with research activities in Kobe and have LET US HELP YOU INVEST was the solid support system provided by Hyogo Prefecture, established networks there, there is a large accumulation of industry Kobe City, JETRO and other organizations. that stretches from the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster Kyoto IN HYOGO, KOBE In the future, while we will support Japanese companies’ promoted by Kobe City, and the city has a superior transportation Himeji strategies of expanding business operations overseas through network. e wide-ranging support our company received from Osaka International Airport Kobe, an international city with a long history, is documentation of product manuals, we would like to play a role sources such as public organizations in Kobe and other areas and Kobe located almost in the middle of Japan. The city also in supporting the Kobe Medical Industry Development Project. JETRO were also very helpful. Kobe Airport Osaka offers quick access to major cities in East Asia. Nara JETRO has established in Kobe an Invest Japan Awajishima Kansai International Airport Business Support Center (IBSC), offering one-stop support for foreign enterprises that seek to start business in Hyogo/Kobe. “Environment that allows access to “Kobe is historically a pearl trading advanced information system and mecca.” infrastructure.” “We want to expand the Tahitian “Another leap forward in Kobe, which black pearl to overseas.” has focused its eorts on advanced HYOGO-KOBE medical care.” DiaSys Japan K.K. Mana Pearl KK The Gateway of Success Mr. Yoshihiko Akagi, President Nicolas Savary, President DiaSys Diagnostic Systems GmbH, a German midsize in vitro In June 2009, Tahiti Evolution Pearl, which produces, sells, and processes black diagnostic manufacturer that has been rapidly growing in the eld pearls in Tahiti (French Polynesia), established its Japanese arm, Mana Pearl KK, in of innovative liquid reagent development, has exported its products Kobe as a sales base in Japan. A large quantity of Tahitian black pearls has already San-yo Shinkansen Shin-Kobe Station to 80 countries around the world and had for some time been been exported to Japan, but Mana Pearl KK was established with goals including Kobe Subway Shin-Kobe Station Seishin-Yamate Line considering setting up operations in Japan. ough it took the the ability to provide products over the internet cheaply and to utilize photos of Daiei company nearly ten years to achieve this goal due to complex products in order to process and sell them in accordance with consumer Super Sannomiya station Market approval procedures and other problems, it nally established a preferences. Japan External Trade Organization Sogo Department wholly owned subsidiary, DiaSys Japan K.K. in March 2006. e word Mana in our company name means supernatural power and god in Kobe Subway Store www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest/ Kaigan Line Sannomiya Hanadokei Mae We decided to establish our o ce in Kobe because the City has Polynesian, and I believe that it matches well with the image of the black pearl as Port Liner focused its eorts on advanced medical care, primarily through the the fruit of various aspects of nature, such as the ocean, wind, and light of the train JETRO Kobe Office Kobe City Hall Kobe Medical Industry Development Project, and because sophisti- South Pacic. I hope that the black pearl, an indigenous Tahitian product, expands Flower Isogami Address : Boeki Center Bldg. Road Park cated information system and infrastructure were available for use. not only in Japan but also to all over the world along with the image of Tahiti and 4th, 5-1-14 Hamabe-dori, Higashi While we were preparing to set up our o ce, we took advantage of that this will lead to an increase in sales. We decided to locate our base in Kobe Yuenchi Boeki • 10 minutes on foot from Sannomiya Station Chuo-ku, Kobe-City Park Center assistance provided by JETRO’s IBSC and other support services because many related companies such as those involved in sales and processing are Station • 10 minutes by taxi from Shin-Kobe Station Hyogo-Prefecture 651-6591 Japan Sunbo Hall for business incorporation, which were most helpful. Currently, we located there, with 80% of the Japanese pearl trade being conducted in the city, and • 14 minutes by Port Liner train from Kobe Airport to Boeki Center Station Tel : +81 78-231-3081 JETRO Kobe are receiving preferential treatment, such as rent subsidies provided because I have been involved in pearl-related work in Kobe for a long time. I am (Boeki Center Bldg. 4th) • 40 minutes by limousine bus from Osaka Airport (Itami) to Sannomiya Station Fax : +81 78-232-3439 • 70 minutes by Limousine bus from Kansai International Airport (Osaka) to by Hyogo Prefecture and Kobe City. We plan to expand our profoundly grateful for the support we received when preparing for establishment To Kobe Airport E-mail : [email protected] Sannomiya Station presence not only in the Japanese market, but also in markets of Mana Pearl KK, such as that from the JETRO IBSC and consultations with throughout Asia. specialists, and the cooperation of organizations in the area including Kobe City. When Japan opened itself to the world in the 19th century after a long period of its national isolation, Kobe was one of the first cities in the nation to JETRO IBSC Kobe Investment Environment in Hyogo-Kebe welcome foreign cultures by opening a trading port and building a foreign settlement. With its quality business and living environment, Kobe still appeals to companies and investors both at home and abroad. Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC) Kobe is a unique one-stop center for companies with a business interest in Kobe or other cities in Hyogo Prefecture, in the Western region of Japan. Tax Reduction Even if you have never conducted business in Japan, and cannot speak a word of Japanese, IBSC Attractive Business Environment Kobe is the place to start. Our advisor and network of expert information sources are ready to help ①Real estate acquisition tax show you all the necessary steps at whatever level of support you need. IBSC offers services free 50% reductions, limit 200 million yen of charge with the exception of services such as telecom charges. We also provide facility services Concentration of Industries as free temporary offices to those staying in Kobe. ②Property(fixed assets) tax and urban(city) Regenerative Medicine and Biotechnology: Nanotechnology: Transportation Infrastructure Available Services planning tax 50% reductions for 3 years Kobe City has implemen- In Harima Science Garden City, the world’s highest-level large synchrotron Railroad network ted the Kobe Medical radiation facility (SPring-8:Super Photon ring-8 GeV), which is expected to ③Business office tax 50% reductions for 3 years continue contributing to protein structure and function analysis, went into All Shinkansen trains stop at JR Industry Development service in 1997. SPring-8, which has enabled structural analysis of materials, Shin-Kobe station. There are Facility Services Project, an initiative to in addition to other scientific and technological research, which could not numerous convenient public and concentrate medical have been possible using the conventional light sources, functions as a highly private railroads. Subsidies Private temporary offices : 3 offices available in principle for 50 operation days, industries on Kobe Port versatile facility widely available to researchers both here and abroad. Moreover, the facility is designed to support industries by helping develop Island and improve the maximum 100 operation days technological infrastructure for new industries through collaborative research Expressway network area as an R&D hub of ①Within 3% of capital investment -No upper limit Office environment : 14.5 m2 space with desks & chairs, cabinet, a closet and between the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (responsible for Major expressways of Hanshin, leading-edge medical operating and managing the facility) and companies or other organizations. Meishin, Sanyo and Chugoku ② telephone, fax machine and 2 high-speed broadband internet lines technologies. Currently link the East and the West of Up to 300 million yen for job creation Common space : 1 meeting room with TV, business library & copying machine located in the area are the Kobe, while the Kobe-Awaji- ③Within of office rent, yen/m2 per Office hours : 09:00-18:00, Monday to Friday except weekends & national holidays world-class research Naruto Expressway unites the 50% 1,500 institutions, laboratories South and the East of the city. month, up to 2 million/year for 3 years and incubation facilities for Airline network regenerative medicine and Kobe Airport connects to 6 major biotechnology, such as the cities nationwide. It takes just 29 Center for Developmental Financing minutes by high-speed ferry or Biology (CDB) of Riken, 65 minutes by airport limousine Japan. To take advantage Up to 80% of target business or 2.5 billion yen for bus to Kansai International Airport. of such an advanced research infrastructure, establishing business in designated areas (up to 50 billion more than 200 companies in the healthcare industry have established facilities, Marine network including R&D centers, in this area. Kobe Port, opened in 1868, links yen with special admission), with annual interest to 500 ports in 130 or more 1.35% for up to 15 years, term of grace up to 2 years Fashion: Manufacturing Industries: countries and region around the Consulting Services world as a major container port. Kobe, having built Hyogo, Japan’s 6th largest industrial prefecture, Ferries link Kobe Port with other its brand as a holds a 4.5% share of the shipment value of major ports in Japan, as well as 1. Visa and Residence status application fashion city, boasts manufactured goods. Specifically, Hyogo boasts in China. not only robust ap- a concentration of heavy industries such as steel 2. Selecting a location parel industries, and shipbuilding, represented by Kobe Steel, but also a food 3. Marketing culture typified by Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. and refined sake and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., as well as 4. Laws and regulations western confec- various other manufacturing industries, including Major foreign companies in Hyogo/Kobe National and local government incentives tionery, superb food, machinery and metal. In recent years, Kobe has Advantages Company Function Country 5. craftsmanship in high-tech companies such as plasma display ALSTOM Headquarters France such products as over Tokyo 6. Cost simulation models and laptop computer makers have set up Nestlé Japan Headquarters Switzerland shoes and furni- operations in Hyogo, a development that has ture, not to men- Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Headquarters,R&D Germany 7. Incorporation procedures attracted numerous small and medium materials P&G Japan Group tion the City’s (U.S./ Manufacturing and selling of household consumer goods) Sandvik Headquarters Sweden 8. Employee and labor issues fashionable street- processing industries, leading to growth in the Prefecture's share of the shipment value of Eli Lily Japan Headquarters,R&D United States scape and civic Hatsunori Kiriyama Representative 9. Business meeting arrangements culture. Numerous world-renowned boutiques and stylish restaurants in Kobe electric machinery and general machinery Procter & Gamble Far East Headquarters,R&D United States Max Factor (P&G Group) Headquarters United States have also helped establish the City's brand as a fashion center. Moreover, produced by processing and assembly Why did you choose Kobe for Kobe is the world's largest processing and distribution center for pearls,with industries. a good balance between work and personal Tempur Japan Headquarters Sweden your business base in Japan? life. As many of our employees are foreigners, an 80% share of Japan's total transaction volume. Trett Consulting (Japan) Headquarters Britain P&G started its business in Osaka in 1973. It schools and various services for foreigners are Sauser-Danfoss-Daikin West Japan Office Germany How to Apply then built its Japan headquarters and essential conditions as well. The great living Technical Center and moved from Osaka to environment and international image are very Kengoo Group Headquarters China Favorabr blele LivingL v g EnvironmentEnv r nm nt Rokko Island, Kobe in 1993. This headquar- effective in recruiting for capable personnel. 10DR Japan Headquarters South Korea Kindly contact any of JETRO’s overseas offices abroad, ters building has 1,400 employees, of which Nihon Schering R&D Germany Please offer some advice for or JETRO IBSC Kobe directly at home. Our Services are 250 are foreigners. The number of nationali- Le Cordon bleu Paris Cooking school France ties of its employees counts as many as foreign companies that are Khimexpert Branch Russia offered to corporations, in principle. Our consultation twenty-five. considering advancing into Japan Favorable Living Environment AMB Storage Plant United States services are also available outside Japan through Kobe meets our needs as a great location in My advice is, when companies are coming terms of transportation facilities, living into Japan, they should look hard at all Note:About 200 foreign companies in Kobe (as of the end 2008) JETRO’s extensive overseas network. School facilities Transportation environment, and an international image. options available, at various cities. Not Major Japanese companies in Hyogo/Kobe 8 international schools (6 educational founda- 20 minutes by train to Osaka, 1 hour 10 minutes Even today, we strongly feel that Kobe was surprisingly, Tokyo is the best known, and tions) that are Canadian, Chinese, German or by air (Kobe-Haneda) and 2hours 50 minutes by the right choice for us. many companies make the choice to go there Company Function Company Function Contact Mitsubishi Heavy Being close to Shinkansen stations and an just on the basis of being in Tokyo. We, on Plant World Headquarters Christian Shinkansen to Tokyo Industries URL: http://www.jetro.go.jp/en/invest/ airport makes it convenient to travel to Tokyo the other hard, have been extremely happy Housing Communities for foreigner and religious Kawasaki Heavy Headquarters UCC Ueshima Headquarters E-mail: [email protected] and other cities in Japan, and easy access to being out of Tokyo. Industries Plant Coffee Plant All urban amenities and living costs are facilities Address: Boeki Center Bldg. 4th 5-1-14 Hamabe-dori, the international airport makes it efficient to My suggestion to foreign companies wanting Toshiba Plant HOUSE Foods Plant cheaper than in Tokyo or Osaka. There are Western, Chinese, other Asian and travel to and from overseas. to invest in Japan is to look broadly before Headquarters Headquarters Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 651-6591 Japan Kobe Steel Tasaki Shinju Kobe is also a popular residential quarter due many different kinds of communities as well as Furthermore, being urban yet close to nature, deciding where you want to be. I suspect that Plant Plant Tel: +81-78-231-3081 to its safe living environment and few traffic many religious facilities such as Christian, such as ocean and mountains, Kobe has a they'll be surprised at how many other Mitsubishi Electric Plant Matsushita Electric Plant wonderful living environment. Relatively short attractive options are available to them Headquarters Headquarters π Fax: +81-78-232-3439 jams. Jewish, Islam, Janist etc. Asics Sysmex commutes enable our employees to achieve beyond Tokyo. R&D &D