Why Tokyo
With a population of 13.51 million people, Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is a world-leading megalopolis. Its gross metropolitan product is valued at USD 930 billion (FY 2014), an amount rivaling the GDP of the Netherlands.
Tokyo has 2,964 major companies with a capital of 1 billion yen or more. This figure is about half of the total number of such companies in Japan. An international business centre, Tokyo is also home to 77 percent of the foreign-affiliated companies in Japan, with over 2,400. Tokyo also ranks top class in the world in number of Fortune Global 500 company headquarters. Such a large accumulation of companies serves as a magnet attracting even more companies to Tokyo, driving the city’s economy.
1. Huge market and sophisticated consumers
The Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo and the adjacent three prefectures) is a huge economy with a population of some 37 million people, which greatly surpasses the populations of major metropolitan areas of the world such as New York and London.
Consumers in Japan demand a high level of quality and have a sizable appetite for high valued-added consumer products. Thus, products and services that are successful in Tokyo can be expected to also earn high marks in the global market.
2. Wealth of potential business partners and highly skilled professionals
Tokyo has a large number of companies, universities and research institutions. There are also numerous small and medium-sized companies boasting world-leading technologies.
3. Comfortable business environment
Business operations can be conducted with peace of mind as Japan offers the highest level of protection of intellectual property rights in Asia. Tokyo has many high-performance office buildings with superb earthquake resistance and emergency power systems to ensure that your business can continue to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, even in the event of a disaster.
4. A safe and secure city
In the Safe Cities Index 2017 by The Economist Intelligence Unit, Other than being ranked top overall, Tokyo also ranked in the top five in the respective categories of “Digital security,” “Infrastructure safety,” and “Personal safety.”
5. Substantial health care and educational environment
With some 24,000 medical institutions, Tokyo has over 10 percent of all the medical institutions in Japan. Japan ranks among the top in the world in medical facilities. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) is striving to increase medical institutions offering services in foreign languages to reassure foreign businesspeople and their families that they can receive medical care in their native language such as English.
6. Clean water and air
Tokyo has introduced an advanced water treatment system and established its own water quality standards, which are stricter that the national standards. Furthermore, Tokyo has the least air pollutant emissions per urban area among Asian cities.
7. Diverse art and culture
Tokyo provides an environment where people can enjoy the traditional performing arts of Japan such as kabuki, sumo. It also has a thriving art scene, including music, theatre, and other activities. There are over 100 art galleries and museums, offering abundant opportunities to appreciate first-class artworks.
8. Gourmet capital
In Tokyo you can enjoy not only traditional Japanese cuisine but also food from all parts of Japan and diverse cuisine from around the world.
9. Beautiful nature
Tokyo is blessed with a rich natural environment. You can enjoy hiking on Mt. Takao, which boasts the largest annual number of hikers in the world, by travelling just one hour to the west by train from central Tokyo.
Furthermore, you can enjoy blue seas, white sandy beaches, and large open-air hot springs by the ocean on Tokyo’s islands including the Ogasawara Islands, which were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage
List.
10. A spirit of hospitality
Said to be related to the spirit of the tea ceremony, there is a culture or climate that values hospitality in Japan. This spirit is also deeply rooted in Tokyo.
Focus industries
Tokyo is a major center for Information Technology and Financial & Insurance Services.
Learn about our Focus industries.
