The Kansai region, located almost at the center of Japan, has a population of approx. 20 million. With its economy rivaling in scale that of Australia or the Netherlands (regional GDP is 17% of Japan's GDP), the Kansai region serves as one of Japan's major economic centers.

The Kansai region is home to the following major cities

Osaka:

West Japan's largest commercial city

Kyoto:

Japan's ancient capital, recently renowned as the birthplace of many high-tech industry venture companies

Kobe:

a city with a world-class port, serving as a gateway to Asia

The Kansai region has a flourishing consumer electrical appliance industry and material industry, featuring a rich accumulation of major worldwide innovative information and electronic appliance manufacturers such as Panasonic, Sharp and Sanyo, as well as electronic device companies with advanced technologies supporting those major worldwide companies.

The Regional High-Tech Industry Leaders

Major home information appliance manufacturers, electronic device manufacturers and semiconductor manufacturers in the Kansai region include the following:
Sanyo, Sharp, Panasonic, Omron, Kyocera, Murata, Funai, Rohm, NEC, Keyence, Nichicon, Hitachi, Icom, Espec, Silex Technology, Pixela, Dainippon Screen

The Kansai Region's Electrical Machine Shipment Value Share of the National Market (%)

Consumer electrical appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators	35.4%
Electrical machines and equipment	20.5%
Electron tubes	19.0%
Condensers etc.	18.1%
(Reference) The entire manufacturing industry	16.2%

Source:the 2004 Industrial Statistics by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

No. of Information Service Business Establishments and their Employees in the Kansai Region

No. of businesses establishments:	8,629
No. of employees:	212,438

Source:the 2006 Establishments and Enterprises Census by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

The Kansai region, centered in Osaka, has a long history of development as Japan's economic center. In the region, where the entrepreneur spirit has long taken root, a wide variety of original ideas and technologies have been developed.

Examples of Worldwide Products Invented in the Kansai Region:
Instant ramen (pre-cooked Chinese noodles), microwave oven, hair drier, automatic ticketing gate, karaoke, conveyer belt sushi bar, mechanical pencil, fish-finder

Thus, the Kansai region has a rich accumulation of information appliance manufacturers and electronic device manufacturers. Home to many companies providing unique, original products and services, the region attracts many foreign companies. With its excellent access to Asian nations, the Kansai region is also the focus of attention as a hub for global business development.

Access to Kansai

International flight of Kansai International Airport

733 flights (per week) to 73 cities

Flight time

65 min from Tokyo
2 hr 10 min from Shanghai
9 hr 25 min from San Francisco
12 hr 30 min from London, Paris and Frankfurt