Osaka cityActive in Attracting Foreign Companies

Osaka City is a core city in the Kansai region having the following characteristics: 1.Accounting for over 25% share of the total wholesale and retailing industry in Japan. 2.Boasting many employees and gross products in the service industry, as the city's core industry. 3.Having a high share in the information communication industry in Japan on par with Tokyo.

Osaka City offers free office space that can be used 365 days for up to six months, six individual rooms, and one shared-office to businesses and organizations in all industries looking to establish a business base within Osaka City. They come with communications and office equipment in the room. BSO also assists in opening a business office in Osaka City.

If a company conducting pioneering businesses related to new energy or life sciences establishes a new base within designated areas of Osaka City (Osaka Station Area, Yumeshima/Sakishima Area, and Hanshin Port Area), the municipal tax (corporate citizen tax, property tax, business office tax, and city planning tax) will be reduced to zero for up to five years, and one-half for the following five years.
By using this program combined with Osaka Prefecture's system, local taxes virtually become zero.

O-BIC subsidizes part of the cost of company registration and acquisition of the status of residence.
We provide a variety of one-stop services related to establishing businesses in Osaka City (information on Osaka in general, real estate and incentive programs, introduction to experts in interpretation, translation, legal tax, and companies, information on seminars, etc.).

Startup Visa Available

In the Osaka and Kansai region, particularly on the Osaka Gulf Coast, there is a cluster of companies and research institutes related to the environmental and new energy industries, such as solar cells and lithium-ion batteries. In the Sakishima Cosmo Square, there is the world's most extensive testing and evaluating facilities for large-scale battery energy storage systems.

Many pharmaceutical companies have been concentrated in Osaka, particularly in Dosho-machi, since old days. Today, bio-related pharmaceutical companies and food manufacturers gather throughout Osaka City as well as the chemical and medical equipment companies that support them.

Osaka City offers a wide selection of housing and an optimal living environment for a workplace close to home. As of the end of June 2019, approximately 250,000 foreign residents, or 2.8% of Osaka Prefecture's population, from Asian and other countries live in the City. Osaka's attractiveness is that it has a well-developed educational environment for children, including international schools with international accreditations. The number of international students is 26,257 (as of May 1, 2019), ranking second nationwide following Tokyo.

Located at the center of Japan's land, sea, and air transportation networks, Osaka City provides an ideal environment for business, logistics, and tourism. Its sophisticated transportation infrastructure ensures excellent accessibility to and from major domestic cities and cities in China and the rest of Asia.

Air: Access from Kansai International Airport to major cities
Land: Approx. 1 hour by train from Kansai International Airport to Osaka Station

Advice on the matters related to entering the Japanese market, consultation on the matters related to establishing a Japanese base, provision of 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.