Local Government Pitch Event "Invest-1" Showcased Three Regions Advancing GX Investment

On June 26, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) held "Invest-1" as part of its efforts to support regions seeking to attract foreign investment. At this pitch event, local governments introduce the business environments and investment opportunities in their regions to representatives of overseas companies. Following the inaugural event held in December 2025, this second edition focused on GX (Green Transformation), with Kawasaki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Kagawa Prefecture presenting their industrial strengths and investment incentive programs.

Riichiro Inaba, Associate Manager at the Land Use Conversion Promotion Department, Coastal Area International Strategy Headquarters, Kawasaki City, who oversees the Minami-Watarida District, explained that the region "is home to global companies, supported by its excellent access to Haneda Airport and concentration of research and development (R&D) functions." He also outlined plans to develop Ohgishima and the Minami-Watarida District as GX hubs. In the Minami-Watarida District, an R&D facility will be established to support the deployment and scale-up of climate technologies.

Kazumi Suehiro, Executive Director of the Department of Commerce, Industry and Labor / Director of the Industrial Decarbonization Promotion Office, Yamaguchi Prefecture, stated that "GX is being promoted under Governor Muraoka's strong commitment." He outlined the prefecture's strategy to develop GX industrial clusters centered on three key areas with a concentration of materials-related industries, leveraging Yamaguchi's skilled industrial workforce and successful track record in attracting overseas companies.

Sae Itogawa, Senior Staff, Business Location Promotion Division, Commerce, Industry and Labor Department, Kagawa Prefectural Government, outlined the prefecture's GX strategy centered on hydrogen and AX (AI Transformation). She highlighted plans to foster AI and GX industrial clusters by leveraging strategic partnerships with NVIDIA and Professor Yutaka Matsuo of the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo and expressed the prefecture's ambition to develop a GX Research Park in the future.

Yoshihiko Ito, Deputy Director of the Investment Facilitation Division, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), stated in an interview with JETRO after the event: "As regions work to restructure their key industries through GX and other initiatives, some local governments are, for the first time, making serious efforts to attract overseas companies and support business collaboration and partnerships. This initiative provided a valuable opportunity for local governments to receive objective feedback and learn about expectations for their regions from overseas companies already operating in Japan and business support organizations."

Based on the GX2040 Vision, METI established the "GX Strategic Zone" in August 2025 as a concrete policy measure under Japan's GX Industrial Cluster Initiative. This initiative aims to create "new industrial clusters" by promoting GX-oriented industrial agglomeration and the integrated development of power and telecommunications infrastructure, with industrial resources such as former industrial complex sites and regionally concentrated decarbonized power sources serving as the core. In April 2026, six regions were selected as Promising zones under the Brownfield Transformation category of this strategy. The three regions that presented at this event were also selected as Promising zones and are particularly proactive in attracting overseas companies and promoting international collaboration. Among the Promising zones, regions deemed to have sufficiently mature business plans are expected to be designated as GX Strategic Zones later this summer.