Kansai Canada Business Association

Business Organizations in the Kansai

Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) is an excellent organization to consult for both foreign and local firms in the Osaka area. OCCI offers many services and information for all businesses in the region. According to its website:

Supported by respectable members of various scales with wide-ranging lines of business, the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) represents the Osaka-Kansai region as a major economic organization.

The mission of OCCI is to contribute to realization of a revitalized economic society, reconversion of industrial structure, enhancement of international competitiveness, renovated business management by member companies and creation of business opportunities.

Osaka Business Investment Center

One of the main mandates of the Osaka Business Investment Center (O-BIC) is to provide support to foreign businesses investing in the Osaka area. As a one-stop service center for business investing, O-BIC provides prospective foreign investors with a comprehensive yet detailed support system. International companies, foreign government offices and economic organizations as well as foreign-capitalized companies located in Japan are invited to use the center to obtain accurate information and essential advice for entering the Osaka market.

JETRO Osaka

Among many of services provided by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), there are the Invest Japan Business Support Centers (IBSCs). These centers offer extensive support to those foreign companies investing in the country including office space, access to specialist advisors, business seminars and business matching programs. One very important service they provide is information on how to set up a business in Japan.

Jetro also has large business libraries across the country, including in Osaka, that contain books, magazines and research on marketing, business surveys, regional analysis and new products.

IBPC Osaka Investment Promotion Center

The IBPC Osaka Investment Promotion Center (IBPC) offers a range of services including arrangement of business meetings with potential business partners in Osaka, arranging of interpreters, translation of materials for business meetings, and subsidies for participating in exhibitions/business conventions (up to 150,000 JPY per company). According to its mandate, IBPC also has a support program. This program

is a service provided for companies and organizations in Japan and abroad that are interested in expanding their operations in Osaka City and have concrete business plans. The IBPC Osaka Investment Promotion Center, a division established within Osaka City's Economic Affairs Bureau to promote domestic and foreign investments in Osaka City, offers extensive support services tailored to your specific needs.

Hyogo-Kobe Investment Support Center

The Hyogo-Kobe Investment Support Center promotes business investment in the Kobe/Hyogo area. Among its services are the following:

Attraction activities targeted at foreign/foreign-affiliated companies
Activities targeted at domestic companies
Provision of information regarding industrial sites (including private land) in Hyogo Prefecture
One-stop services for business establishment
Production of promotional materials, business-attraction tools, etc.
Support services for domestic companies planning to expand their businesses overseas, etc.

Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry is Kyoto area’s main representative of the business community. It also offers support and assistance to international companies and entrepreneurs looking to do business in the Kyoto area. The Kyoto Chamber consists of more than 11,500 member companies and its mission is to promote the advantages of Kyoto commerce and industry both domestically and internationally. The website contains a business directory of 250 companies and is an excellent way to find a business partner in Kyoto.