Investing in Japan

The Japan Food Initiative is a cooperative business organization made up of regional governments that aims to attract foreign food-related companies to Japan. Its members represent the prefectures of Saitama, Shizuoka, Kanagawa and Chiba, as well as Saitama City, the regions surrounding Tokyo.

The Kanto region, where the Japan Food Initiative’s member local governments are located, possesses a massive economy and is one of the world’s foremost areas of food product consumption. The amount spent on food products per unit area is one of Asia’s top, and as a high-end market, it boasts a large number of gourmet consumers. It works with organizations such as research institutions, food-related universities, and approximately 30% of the research laboratories belonging to Japan’s leading food manufacturers, making it a hub for food-related companies in one Asia’s largest consumer market.

Saitama’s strength lies in its production and domestic distribution of food products. Shizuoka excels in the research and development of “functional foods” and the production of beverages. With its highly developed port function, Kanagawa is home to the head offices of many foreign companies. Blessed with a wealth of agricultural and marine products, Chiba’s strength is international distribution. Linking each of these and expanding their individual functions enables the implementation of marketing that will effectively capture the Asian market.

To attract food-related companies from around the world, each local government provides a wide array of support services for foreign companies to enter the Japanese market and has created a living environment in which foreign residents will feel at home.

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