KANSAI

Kansai is located in the center of Japan, with a population of over 20 million and a gross regional product (GRP) of about 800 billion dollars. It is one of the world's leading metropolitan areas with an economic scale comparable to that of Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Kansai is home to a large number of small and medium-sized companies with internationally advanced technological capabilities, and there are many so-called "Global Niche Top (GNT)" companies that have a high global market share in a particular field and excellent management.
Kansai is also home to a large concentration of universities and research institutes, with R&D centers and industry-university collaborations in progress.
Many Nobel laureates have been produced in Kansai, and a number of overseas industry-academia collaboration organizations have also established themselves in the region.
In 2025, Kansai will host the "Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai ," in which various countries and international organizations from around the world will participate, creating a great business opportunity for start-up companies along with the concept of a "People's Living Lab”, a laboratory for a future society.
The Kansai region has been the capital of Japan since ancient times, and has nurtured a diverse culture centered on the three unique metropolitan areas of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. Kyoto is ranked as the world's number one tourist destination, and Osaka is ranked as the second most livable city in the world.
The three cities are very close to each other, and it takes only about 30 minutes to travel from Osaka to Kyoto and Kobe, making it an extremely convenient area for transportation.

OSAKA Area

Osaka is the central city of western Japan with a population of over 8 million. While the city center is lined with skyscraper offices and commercial facilities, it is also a city of historical buildings and landscapes such as ancient tombs, temples and shrines, inheriting a history of prosperity as the political, economic and cultural center of Japan since ancient times. Through the accumulation of Osaka's manufacturing industry, the concentration of research institutes and companies in the fields of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and the use of cutting-edge technology, we will create new values and innovations centering on "health and longevity" and provide the results to the world in broad ways.

KYOTO Area

Kyoto is a city of innovation, fusing tradition, culture, and technology into hardworking harmony. And a city of Students, it has 34 universities, and nearly 10% of the population is students.The main active fields of startups in Kyoto are Bio healthcare, Deep-tech, and Advanced Manufacturing.Within Kyoto Research Park, 500 enterprises and private organizations (apx. 6,400 employees) are active. In Keihanna Science City, many universities and large enterprises research institutions are accumulated.These universities and enterprises in Kyoto have produced 11 Nobel Prize-winning researchers.

Hyogo - KOBE Area

Equipped with a comprehensive transportation network of land, sea and air, Kobe is a popular business center that attracts many people from Japan and abroad. With a concentration of medical-related industries and academic research institutions, and a variety of research and development projects, Kobe has everything you need to pave a new path to the future. For example, the medical industry, manufacturing industry, IT industry, new energy industry, aerospace industry, and fashion industry have led the economy of Kobe. And the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster and supercomputers are at the forefront of cutting-edge projects.

ACCESS

Kansai International Airport

To Osaka Station　50min.by shuttle bus
To Sannomiya Station（Kobe） 75min.by shuttle bus
To Kyoto Station 90min.by shuttle bus

POPULATION

16.9 million

(total of Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo Prefecture), National Census Data, 2020

UNIVERSITY

OSAKA

- Osaka University
- National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center

KYOTO

- Kyoto University
- Kyoto Institute of Technology

Hyogo - KOBE

- Kobe University
- Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation

ECONOMY

OSAKA

- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
- DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, Ltd.

KYOTO

- KYOCERA Corporation
- SHIMADZU Corporation

Hyogo - KOBE

- Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
- ASICS Corporation

SUPPORT

OSAKA

Global Innovation Creation Support Program (Osaka Innovation Hub)

Osaka Innovation Hub (OIH) was established at Knowledge Capital, Grand Front Osaka in Umekita area to create a virtuous cycle of innovation by attracting human resources, information, and funds from Japan and abroad. OIH organizes international conferences, human resource exchange, project creation support, and industry-university collaboration to promote university participation.

Implementation of acceleration programs according to the stage of growth

The Osaka Business Development Agency(OBDA)is implementing various start-up support measures for Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City collectively including programs at various stages from seed to early stage and later stage.

KYOTO

HVC Kyoto (Global Healthcare Conference kyoto)

KGAP+ is a startup support program that attracts promising startups from Japan and abroad with the goal of conducting PoC and pilot tests in collaboration with large Japanese enterprises as well as overseas expansion. So far, 63 startups from 9 countries have participated in the program, and 83% of startups in Batch 1 to 4 have been able to implement PoC or enter into collaborative discussions with the program’s support.Hyogo-Kobe

KGAP+

It has partnered with global healthcare companies and professional mentors to provide opportunities and training to pitch in English in front of international companies for life science startups so that they can get the "real voice" of the global market. This conference is a Kyoto-based program.In addition to startup pitches, the program includes partner sessions and business matching sessions with global pharmaceutical companies and venture capitalists.

Hyogo - KOBE

UNOPS S3i Innovation Center Japan

UNOPS Sustainable Investments in Infrastructure and Innovation (S3i) initiative is designed to help address two key challenges to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): financing and innovation.

Global Mentorship Program

A "tailor-made" startup support program that was newly launched by Kobe City, a local government in Japan known for its support of startups throughout Japan and overseas. The program targets startups and provides a wide range of support from the idea to the scale stage and overseas expansion. Community Managers will match you with the support you need (mentors, other programs, resources, potential customers, etc.).