The Question
For European companies:
Why Hyogo ?
1. INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Kansai International Airport (KIX) has direct flights to 60 international cities including major cities in Europe. It takes 75 minutes from downtown Kobe to the airport by the airport bus.
2. INTERNATIONAL PORT
The Port of Kobe is one of the largest international ports in Japan. There are 35 container berths, several with a depth of 15 meters, and plans have been drawn up for the construction of 16-meter berths. The Port of Kobe has 98 lines that connect to about 135 countries and regions around the world.
3. RAILWAY & HIGHWAY NETWORK
Shinkansen service is available in the southern part of the Prefecture. It takes 2 hours and 40 minutes from Shin-Kobe station to Tokyo. Expressways run east and west providing smooth access to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Hiroshima, as well as to other regions of the country. Also, the largest suspension bridge in the world connects the main Island (Honshu) and Shikoku.
4. INDUSTRY
In 1999, the gross prefectural product was 175,100 million US dollars, roughly equivalent to the GDP of Denmark. Hyogo Prefecture has various economic activities, including heavy industry, steel, transportation equipment, food products, chemical, and fashion.
5. LIVING ENVIRONMENT
There are several famous international schools such as Canadian Academy, Marist Brothers International School and St. Michael's International School, and 50 hospitals registered as Foreign Resident Emergency Care Hospitals in Hyogo. In addition, there are a wide variety of religious services available for foreign residents.
6. HYOGO-KOBE INVESTMENT SUPPORT CENTER
Hyogo Investment Support Center in Kobe provides information on regional issues, economic conditions, and industrial parks to foreign enterprises considering starting a business in the Hyogo-Kobe area.
Foreign-Affiliated Companies (300+Employees)
in Hyogo Prefecture
- Nestle Japan Holding, Ltd. (Switzerland)
- Procter & Gamble Far East, Inc. (U.S.A.)
- Max Factor K.K. (U.S.A.)
- Display Technologies, Inc. (U.S.A.)
- Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd. (Germany)
- Eli Lilly Japan K.K. (U.S.A.)
- KMT Semiconductor, Ltd. (U.S.A.)
- Nihon Medi-Physics Co., Ltd. (U.K.)
- Sandvic K.K. (Sweden)
- Alstom Power (France)
- Philips Mobile Display Systems Kobe K.K.(Netherlands)
