Innovation is seen as the key to economic success in the country, given the scarcity of natural resources and its rapidly ageing population. A renewed focus on achieving this in both the private and public sectors makes Japan the ideal market for European companies to enter.
Main City: Nagoya
Population: 7,484,000 people, ranking 4/47 prefectures (2015) [1]
Area: 5,153 km2 [2]
Main City: Akita
Population: 945,000 people ranking 38/47 (2021)
Area: 11,638 km2
Main City: Aomori
Population: 1,221,000 people, ranking 31/47 prefectures (2021)
Area: 9,645 km2
Geographical / Landscape description
ainia centro tecnológico – from ESainia is a technology centre with the legal status of a...
Main City: Chiba
Population: 6,224,000 people, ranking 6/47 prefecture (2021)
Area: 5,156.15 km²
Geographical / Landscape description
Although the Chubu area only comprises about 10% of the national area in geographical terms, it accounts for 20% of the nationwide share in shipments of manufactured goods and is a catalyst driving Japanese economy with its manufacturing base.
The Chugoku Region is located in the western part of Japan. It borders the regions of Kyushu, Shikoku and Kansai, making it a transportation hub for all of western Japan.
From the early 2000s to 2020, the MEXT and the METI actively promoted the “Knowledge Cluster Initiative” and the “Industrial Cluster Project” as a means to reinforce international competitiveness and regional development and accelerate the formation of clusters.
Main City: Matsuyama
Population: 1,386,000 people, ranking 28/47 prefecture (2015) [1]
Area: 5,676 km2 [2]
Main City: Fukui
Population: 787,000 people ranking 43/47 prefecture (2015) [1]
Area: 4,188 km2 [2]
Main City: Fukuoka
Population: 5,103,000 people, ranking 9/47 prefecture (2015) [1]
Area: 4,846 km2 [2]
Main City: Fukushima
Population: 1,812,000 people, ranking 21/47 prefecture (2021)
Area: 13,784 km2
Main City: Gifu
Population: 2,033,000 people ranking 17/47 prefecture (2015) [1]
Area: 10,621 km2 [2]
Main City: Maebashi
Population: 1,927,000 people ranking 18/47 prefecture (2021)
Area: 6,363 km2
Main City: Hiroshima
Population: 2,845,000 people, ranking 12/47 prefectures (2015) [1]
Area: 8,476 km2 [2]
Main City: Sapporo
Main City: Kobe
Population: 5,537,000 people, ranking 7/47 prefecture (2015) [1]
Area: 8,396 km2 [2]
Main City: Mito
This website and related activities are managed by the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, a joint venture between the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) and the Japanese Government's Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI).
