For promoting direct investment in Japan’s regions
On October 17 (Wed.), 2018, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and Fukuoka Prefecture will jointly hold a conference titled “Regional Business Conference (RBC) in Fukuoka,” in order to convey information on the attractiveness of regional business environments in Japan to the world.
The conference will bring together IoT related companies in Sweden and Finland, and provide business matching opportunities, i.e. a sales pitch by the Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture, a business networking event and a business matching event among invited Swedish, Finnish and regional companies.
1. Outline of the RBC projects
In the coming years, Japan will host international sports events, such as the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Taking these opportunities, METI will encourage municipalities to convey information on attractive business environments in their regions to the rest of the world, setting the time goal at 2020.
As one of the efforts to this end, between 2018 and 2020, METI and JETRO will sequentially hold a series of RBC projects. In these projects, they and municipalities proactive to attract foreign-based companies to their regions will collaboratively invite foreign-based companies to Japan that are highly interested in investment in specific Japanese regions. Heads of municipalities will show their attractiveness to such companies through sales representatives, and business matching and other events between foreign-based and regional companies will be held.
As a kick-off conference of a series of RBC projects, METI, JETRO and Fukuoka Prefecture decided to invite company representatives from Sweden and Finland, and hold a Regional Business Conference (RBC) in Fukuoka jointly with JETRO and Fukuoka Prefecture.
2. The RBC in Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefecture aims to play a role of a front runner in the field of innovations in Asia and to serve as a base for advanced growth industries that will seamlessly create new technologies and products. In particular, the prefecture places weight on activities for attracting overseas companies, taking advantage of its existing cluster of companies having IoT-related advanced technologies, e.g., robotics, semiconductors and software.
Moreover, placing an eye on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and other events, the prefecture has been advancing exchange with Sweden and Finland, countries in which IoT-related companies are making remarkable growth. Taking advantage of the networks with these countries, METI, JETRO and Fukuoka Prefecture will hold an RBC in Fukuoka scheduled as below, bringing together eight companies in these countries and providing the Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture with an opportunity to attract business as a sales representative of the prefecture, a business networking event and a business matching event between Swedish and Finnish companies and regional IoT-related companies.
- Date and time: October 17 (Wed.), 2018; from 14:00 to 18:30
- Venue: Hyatt Regency Fukuoka (2-14-1 Hakataeki Higashi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City)
- Associated event
Individual-based business matching and seminar (at the site of Monodzukuri Fair 2018)
Date and time: October 18 (Thur.), 2018; from 10:00 to 17:00
Individual-based business matching: From 10:00 to 12:00, from 15:00 to 17:00
Seminar: From 13:00 to 14:45
3. Future RBC events
Following the RBC in Fukuoka, METI will hold RBC events in three prefectures below:
•In Fukushima Prefecture, event theme: medical-care related industry, scheduled in October 2018
•Ibraki Prefecture, event theme: cluster of R&D bases, scheduled in February 2019
•Osaka City, event theme: venture startups, scheduled in March 2019
