Business Infrastructure in Fukuoka
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- Business Infrastructure in Fukuoka
Fukuoka is one of the cities in Japan with the highest rate of business start-ups, with easy access to transportation and a business-friendly environment.
Convenient transportation
Fukuoka’s geographical advantages
Make a day trip between Fukuoka and East Asian cities.
In Fukuoka, there are two international airports. One is Fukuoka Airport, offering the world-class convenience of a one-hour flight to Seoul and a two-hour flight to Shanghai, and providing ten-minute access to Fukuoka city centre by underground. The other is Kitakyushu Airport, an offshore airport offering 24-hour services, as well as operating overnight cargo flights.
From Fukuoka city centre to Fukuoka Airport: approx. 10 minutes
International flights: 776 direct flights per week to 22 cities (as of January 2020) 1 hr to Seoul, 1.5 hrs to Tokyo, 2 hrs to Shanghai, 3.5 hrs to Hong Kong
Office environment
Business and life environment in Fukuoka
Business environment –
National Strategic Special Zone for Global Startups and Job Creation;
City-centre redevelopment projects
Fukuoka Prefecture boasts one of the nation’s top-level business start-up rates, and Fukuoka City, the centre of the prefecture, is designated as a National Strategic Special Zone for Global Startups and Job Creation. At Fukuoka Growth Next, a startup support facility where entrepreneurs and their sponsors meet with each other, startups with ideas for creating a prosperous future are concentrated together.
In addition, two city-centre redevelopment projects, Tenjin Big Bang and Hakata Connected, have established a high-quality office environment in Fukuoka city centre.
A resilient city with a low risk of earthquakes
Support for business continuity planning (BCP) –
A resilient city with a low risk of earthquakes
Located on the Sea of Japan side of Japan, Fukuoka Prefecture is less likely to be affected at the same time as Tokyo, Osaka and other cities on the Pacific Ocean side of the country in the event of a natural disaster. Because the prefecture also has a large economy and urban functionality, it serves as one of the nation’s main backup sites.
In anticipation of natural disaster risks and a decentralized society after COVID-19, the development of earthquake-resistant buildings featuring some of the best BCP functions in Japan, as well as supporting the prevention of infectious diseases, is ongoing in the prefecture.
Support for business expansion
Fukuoka’s extensive features as a startup ecosystem hub
Fukuoka is characterized by a full array of programs that support venture capital and startups provided by both the public and private sectors.
In Fukuoka, the government, academia, and industry collaborate to offer extensive support to aspiring SMEs and startups, including via FVM (Fukuoka Venture Market), through which Fukuoka Prefecture supports them with intensive programs.
Fukuoka Prefecture’s cabinet-order-designated cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu are putting all their efforts into supporting business expansion. Having been selected as a global startup city, Fukuoka has adopted “startup city” as its slogan, while Kitakyushu, having been selected as a model city for promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, aims to become an “SDGs future city.” Both cities are making efforts to expand their features as startup ecosystem hubs.
Fukuoka Prefecture as a whole is creating business opportunities for startups, including through the “Fukuoka Bio Valley Project” centered around Kurume, which aggregates biotech-related companies and research institutions to create biotech startups and provide opportunities for entry into new areas of biotech.
