ChibaActive in Attracting Foreign Companies

Chiba Prefecture has the advantage of being located adjacent to Tokyo, nation's capital. There are Narita International Airport, which handles international airline passengers and freight from around the world, and the Port of Chiba, which boasts one of the largest volumes of cargo handled in Japan. The prefecture also has an advanced network of extensive trunk highways, including the Tokyo Bay Aqua-line, making it a superior location for access to the Japanese and global markets. Makuhari New City is home to foreign-affiliated and foreign companies in various industries. With Makuhari Messe, Japan's largest convention facility, it is an international business city with facilities for work, housing, study, and recreation.

Subsidies are available to foreign-affiliated companies (at least 1/3 of the share capital owned by a foreign company) who choose to establish headquarters or core corporate functions in Chiba Prefecture for the first time.
The program subsidizes 1/3 of the rent for one year (maximum 0.6 million yen for companies with 1 to 4 employees and a maximum of 1.8 million yen for those with 5 or more employees). Companies relocating from other prefectures in Japan need to have 5 or more employees for the program.

The Foreign Affiliates Start-up Center (FASuC) is an incubation office for foreign-affiliated companies (at least 1/3 of the share capital owned by a foreign company) located in the Word Business Garden (WBG), only a one-minute walk from Kaihin Makuhari Station on the JR Keiyo Line.
A subsidy equivalent to 1/3 of the rent for an office with 2-6 occupants is available to foreign-affiliated companies (at least 1/3 of the share capital owned by a foreign company) for up to 3 years.

Subsidies equivalent to real estate acquisition tax on buildings and fixed assets taxes on depreciable assets are granted (subject to some conditions) to companies establishing the following facilities in Chiba Prefecture:
- Head office (total floor area of 500sqm or more, 50 or more employees)
- Laboratory (site area of 1000sqm or more, 10 or more employees (5 or more in specific promotion areas)
- Factory or distribution processing facilities (site area of 1000sqm or more, 10 or more employees (5 or more in specific promotion areas))

Food-related industries are concentrated mainly around the Chiba Food Industrial Complex. Chiba Prefecture's soy sauce production is the largest in Japan, and it is sold both domestically and overseas. In addition to soy sauce production, which has flourished since the Edo era, Chiba is also renowned as a miso production center. In recent years, new industries utilizing microorganisms' functions from the fermentation research process have been thriving.

More than 100 companies in the biotechnology, medical, welfare, and health services sectors operate in Chiba, including the Kazusa Akademia Park, an international R&D base.

Chiba Prefecture is home to Narita International Airport. It has clusters of international and new logistics and airport-related industries, which serve as a supply base for the metropolitan area. There are freight facilities of forwarders and rental properties of logistics specialist real estate companies around Narita Airport.

In Chiba Prefecture, we support foreigners and provide consultations in various fields, including hospitals, schools, housing, driver's licenses, legal matters, statuses of residence, and alien registration, by telephone.

Chiba Prefecture is in the metropolitan area with an enormous market, and access to Tokyo takes an hour or less. It also has Japan's largest international airport, Narita International Airport, and the Port of Chiba designated as a Major Port.
Chiba has a well-developed transport infrastructure, including an extensive network of major highways, such as the Tokyo Bay Aqua-line, and a railroad network. The Tsukuba Express, a rail line linking Akihabara in Tokyo with Tsukuba Science City began service in August 2005, dramatically improving access between northwestern Chiba prefecture and Tokyo or Tsukuba.

Air: Approx. 30 minutes from Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport to Chiba City
Land: Approx. 30 minutes by train from Tokyo Station to Chiba City

We provide advice on the matters related to entering the Japanese market, consulting on the issues associated with establishing a Japanese base, and providing facilities, including an incubation office.

Active in Attracting Foreign Companies

*Local governments that are active in attracting foreign-affiliated companies" are the local governments that are active in bringing in foreign companies in JETRO's support program. For details, please refer to the support program pages.