JETRO Invest Japan Report 2018 (Summary) 5. JETRO Efforts to Promote Investment in Japan

Achievements of JETRO (Achievements and trends of FY2017)

  • Investments successfully attracted: 193
  • Projects supported: 1,741
  • An increasingly high ratio of investments from Asia in recent years, with China in particular taking on a major role. (Top three countries: China, US, Korea)
  • The ICT/telecommunications industry accounts for the largest percentage of investments, although investment numbers are also growing in the pharmaceutical and medical field and tourism field.
  • Investment in regions other than Tokyo is expanding (46%).

JETRO-attracted investments by region

Asia accounts for 51%, Europe for 23%, North America for 21%, Oceania for 4%, and the Middle East and Africa for 1%.

JETRO-attracted investments by investor country/region

China accounts for 25%, the US 18%, Korea 8%, Germany 7%, Taiwan 6%, France 5%, the UK 4%, Singapore 4%, Australia 4%, Canada 2% and Other 18%.

JETRO-attracted investments by industry

ICT and telecommunications accounts for 20%; Services (food and beverage, retail, consulting, other) 17%; Other manufacturing accounts 17%; Pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and related services 9%; Industrial machinery and parts 7%, Tourism (airlines, travel, hotels, other) 5%, and Others 25%.

JETRO-attracted investments by investment target prefecture

Tokyo accounts for 54% (104 projects), all other prefectures account for 46% (89 projects). The latter category includes 23 projects in Kanagawa, 17 in Osaka, 10 in Aichi, 8 in Hyogo, 7 in Fukuoka, 5 in Chiba, 4 in Saitama and 15 in other prefectures.

[Note] Number of projects in ().

JETRO's activities to promote inward FDI

(1) Providing information on Japanese business environment

Overseas seminars, symposiums, Invest Japan website and other information on entering/investing in the Japanese market

Seminars and symposiums on investment in Japan held in FY 2017

This chart shows 69 seminars and symposiums on investment in Japan held in FY2017 by region on a world map. JETRO held 20 seminars or symposiums in Europe, 28 in Asia, 15 in North America and 6 in other regions. Of these events, the Invest Japan Seminar held in Dublin on June 1, 2017 (Supporters: the Embassy of Japan in Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and Ireland Japan Association) had 75 participants, and there were 191 participants at the Invest Japan Symposium in Seoul on September 26, 2017 (Co-organizers: the Embassy of Japan in Korea, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korea Japan Economic Association; Supporters: the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan; Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea (MOTIE); Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency; and Korea-Japan Cooperation Foundation for Industry and Technology). The Invest Japan Seminar held in Indonesia on August 15, 2017 (Co-organizer: Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) had 31 participants, and there were 85 participants at the Invest Japan Seminar in Hong Kong held in September 7, 2017 (Organizers: JETRO and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; co-organizer: the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong). The Japan-US Investment Partnership Forum in Atlanta held on October 20, 2017 (by JETRO and SelectUSA) had 81 participants, and there were 32 participants in the Roundtable meetings between Prime Minister Abe and American CEOs in New York held on September 19, 2017 (Organizers: the Government of Japan, and JETRO).

(2) Supporting individual FDI projects in Japan

  • Provision of individualized support in collaboration with overseas offices, domestic offices, and the Tokyo and Osaka Head Offices
  • Target fields in FDI: R&D hubs and similar offering high added value and benefits for Japan's economy
  • Close company partners: Introduction of the Personal Advisors System for Foreign Companies
  • Example cases of responses to requests and consultations from foreign companies and newly established business endeavors in Japan through JETRO support

Overview of the Personal Advisors System for Foreign Companies

The personal advisors for foreign companies (JETRO staff members) proactively conduct interviews on the needs of companies and provide detailed support. The personal advisors collect information on the needs and requests from the companies such as on the need for information on government and local incentives, regulatory and procedural barriers and obstacles for business, lack of clarity on what kind of regulations or procedures are necessary, and need for information on policies and market trends in English. They also support individual projects, make proposals to the government for improvement of regulations and procedures, and cooperate with local governments.

(3) Promoting secondary investments and contributing to regional revitalization

  • Support for staffing -networking opportunities between foreign-affiliated companies and foreign exchange students in Japan
  • Networking opportunities for companies to expand their business
  • Joint endeavors with local governments to attract foreign investment to local regions（the Support Program for Regional Foreign Direct Investment in Japan and Regional Business Conference (RBC)）

(4) Approach toward improvement of the business environment

  • "Survey on Japan's Investment Climate" sent to foreign-affiliated companies
  • （Refer to Chapter 4）
  • "Investment Advisor Assignment System"
  • “Personal Advisors System for Foreign Companies”
  • Visas for Coworking Space Users:
  • Special Government Measure in Response to JETRO Requests

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