As Fukuoka’s economy gathers momentum, the conversation is shifting from whether the city should grow to how that growth can improve everyday life. At Kyushu Roundtable #5, nearly 50 participants explored what success should actually look like, who should benefit from it, and how Fukuoka can manage growth without losing the qualities that made the city attractive in the first place.
For years, Fukuoka has been one of Japan’s standout urban success stories. Its population continues to grow while many Japanese cities face decline. International companies are investing, major redevelopment is reshaping Tenjin and Hakata, land values continue to rise, and new investment is flowing into Kyushu. The idea of making Fukuoka one of Japan’s designated secondary capitals has also returned to the national spotlight.
By almost any economic measure, the city is thriving. Growth, however, brings difficult questions. Can housing remain affordable? Will wages keep pace with rising living costs? Can infrastructure support rapid development? Will Fukuoka continue attracting global talent without losing the livability, accessibility and sense of community that made people choose the city in the first place?
Those questions framed the discussion at Kyushu Roundtable #5, held on July 3 at CIC Fukuoka. The event brought together nearly 50 participants from more than 15 countries, making it the largest Roundtable to date. Around half were first-time attendees, joining entrepreneurs, educators, researchers, students, business leaders, city planners and long-term residents to examine one of the region’s defining challenges.
Moderated by Nick Szasz, the evening opened with guest commentators Alison Birch, Chief Operating Officer of State Street Fukuoka, and Taichi Goto, founder of Region Works and former head of Fukuoka D.C. It quickly evolved into an open discussion. As microphones moved through the audience, participants challenged assumptions, shared professional experience and built on one another’s ideas. By the end of the evening, more than twenty people had contributed. The quotations throughout this report capture a conversation that was thoughtful, candid and, at times, surprisingly divided.
Key Themes
- Fukuoka’s growth is creating new opportunities, but participants questioned who will ultimately benefit.
- The idea of a secondary capital sparked a broader discussion about decentralization, resilience and Kyushu’s growing national role.
- Housing affordability, wages and quality of life emerged as more meaningful measures of success than economic growth alone.
- Attracting global talent is only half the challenge. Retaining international graduates and professionals may prove more difficult.
- Managing growth, not stopping it, became the central challenge.
- “Successful for whom?” Bastien Barbier’s question became the defining theme of the evening, pushing the discussion beyond economic indicators.
Kyushu News Flash: Reading the Signals
Every Kyushu Roundtable begins with Kyushu News Flash, a rapid review of recent developments from across the region. This time, the stories ranged from Fukuoka’s possible designation as one of Japan’s secondary capitals to transport upgrades, rising land prices, disaster preparedness, semiconductor investment, robotics, tourism branding and major redevelopment projects.
Individually, the stories appeared unrelated. Together, they revealed something more significant: Kyushu is attracting new investment, Fukuoka is growing in national importance, technology is reshaping traditional industries, and neighbouring prefectures are beginning to feel the effects of Fukuoka’s economic momentum.
Before the panel discussion even began, the room already had a clear sense of the evening’s underlying theme. Growth was no longer a prediction. It was already underway.
Why Companies Are Choosing Fukuoka
Alison Birch offered one of the clearest business perspectives of the evening. As Chief Operating Officer of State Street Fukuoka, she has helped build one of the city’s largest international financial operations. State Street now employs hundreds of people in Fukuoka, making it the firm’s largest office outside Tokyo.
She explained that the decision to expand in Fukuoka followed years of research after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
“My company hired consultants who looked back 1,400 years. There has never been a natural disaster that affected both Tokyo and Fukuoka.”
For State Street, Fukuoka’s appeal extends well beyond seismic risk. The city offers separate power grids from eastern Japan, strong transport links, access to universities, a growing international workforce and, perhaps most importantly, room to grow.
Birch argued that too much of Japan’s economy is concentrated in Tokyo.
“I’m very opposed to centralization in all things.”
Comparing Japan with the United States, she noted that finance, politics, technology and entertainment are spread across multiple cities rather than concentrated in one.
“You have competition of ideas. Different cities develop different strengths.”
Tokyo, she suggested, may have reached the point where further concentration limits future growth.
“It just feels maxed out.”
Rather than seeing regional cities as competitors to Tokyo, Birch believes they strengthen Japan as a whole.
“There is a long, long way to grow here.”
Twenty Years Later
Goto approached the discussion from a different perspective. An urban planner who has spent much of the past two decades thinking about Fukuoka’s long-term development, he reflected on how dramatically the city has changed.
Looking around the room, he paused.
“Twenty years ago, I couldn’t imagine seeing this kind of international professional community in Fukuoka.”
The previous day, he had visited State Street’s office. Walking through a workplace where Japanese and international professionals collaborated in English, he realized he was seeing one of the futures he had once hoped Fukuoka could create. Then he gestured around the room.
“This room is another.”
For Goto, the evening itself had become evidence that Fukuoka’s internationalisation was no longer simply a vision discussed by planners. It was already taking shape through a community of Japanese and international professionals, researchers, entrepreneurs, students and business leaders from more than fifteen countries, exchanging ideas in English about the future of Kyushu.
Twenty years ago, he suggested, such a gathering would have been difficult to imagine. Today, it felt entirely natural, a sign not only that Fukuoka had become more international, but that those international connections had matured into a genuine community.
“Successful for Whom?”
The discussion took its most important turn when Bastien Barbier, a graduate student at Kyushu University, challenged one of the evening’s underlying assumptions. Everyone had been talking about growth. But what did success actually mean?
“Successful for whom?”
The room fell silent.
If Fukuoka succeeds in attracting more companies, investment and residents over the next decade, what will people actually notice in their daily lives? Will housing remain affordable? Will international graduates stay after university? Will families feel better off? Will more people have access to meaningful work? Or will success simply be measured in bigger numbers?
It was a deceptively simple question, but one that reshaped the rest of the evening’s discussion.
Growth Creates Opportunity. It Also Creates Pressure.
Marcus Lau was among the first to respond. Economic growth, he argued, creates opportunities that cities should welcome. But it also brings consequences.
“Growth is good, but there is a cost.”
One obvious example is housing. As land prices continue to climb across Fukuoka, many residents are beginning to question whether wages are rising quickly enough to keep pace.
Karl Bahceci expanded on that concern. Many of today’s decisions, he observed, appear to be based on the assumption that Fukuoka’s rapid expansion will continue well into the future. That optimism has helped fuel redevelopment across the city, but it also raises expectations. If growth slows unexpectedly, would those assumptions still hold?
Rod Gottula approached the issue from a different perspective. Rather than focusing on economics, he spoke about community. Using the image of a growing tree, he asked how cities can continue expanding without weakening the foundations that support them.
“As this tree continues to branch out, how do we maintain the root structure so it doesn’t topple?”
For Rod, the issue was never growth itself. It was preserving the neighbourhoods, relationships and sense of belonging that attracted many people to Fukuoka in the first place.
Listening to the City
Alison Birch agreed that rising costs are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Some of the most candid observations, she said with a smile, come from an unexpected source.
“Taxi drivers have much to say about the rising cost of Fukuoka. They feel it.”
At the same time, she encouraged participants not to lose sight of the alternative. Cities experiencing healthy growth face difficult choices. Cities in decline face even harder ones.
“It’s probably better to be growth-adjacent than no growth.”
For Birch, the challenge was not whether Fukuoka should grow, but how to ensure the benefits of that growth are widely shared.
Does Faster Always Mean Better?
That question led naturally back to Goto. From the perspective of an urban planner, he argued that debates about growth often overlook one critical factor: timing.
“The key issue is the pace.”
Using Tenjin Big Bang as an example, Goto explained that replacing many buildings within a relatively short period inevitably creates another challenge decades later, when those same buildings begin reaching the end of their useful lives at roughly the same time.
Cities, he suggested, should avoid dramatic cycles whenever possible. Sometimes professionals need to encourage development. Sometimes they need to slow it down.
“If it’s too fast, professionals should slow it.”
“If it’s too slow, professionals should encourage it.”
Growth should not simply be measured by how quickly skylines change. It should be judged by whether today’s decisions continue serving residents decades from now.
Keeping Global Talent
One of the evening’s recurring themes was that attracting international talent is only half the battle. Arin Soukoule, who works closely with international students at Kyushu University, said many overseas graduates build strong connections during their years in Fukuoka.
They appreciate the city’s size, quality of life and sense of community. Yet after graduation, many feel they have little choice but to move to Tokyo or Osaka because the same career opportunities simply are not available.
“If we’re successful in attracting talented people, how do we make sure they actually stay?”
Several participants immediately recognized the dilemma. They had made exactly that decision themselves, choosing to build careers and families in Kyushu. For them, the challenge was not attracting international talent. It was creating the opportunities that would persuade them to stay.
“Just Be Fair.”
Alison Birch answered from the perspective of an employer. Drawing on her experience recruiting internationally, she has interviewed and hired people from many countries and backgrounds. Asked what advice she would give Japanese companies hoping to become more international, her response was refreshingly uncomplicated.
“Just be fair.”
She explained that organisations often create barriers without realising it. Managers assume a foreign applicant’s Japanese will not be sufficient. They assume women are less likely to pursue long-term careers. They assume international staff will eventually return home. Those assumptions, she argued, frequently become self-fulfilling.
“Don’t assume.”
Evaluate people on their abilities. Support them. Give them opportunities. For Birch, creating an international workplace is not about introducing complicated diversity programmes. It begins by treating people as individuals. The comment drew quiet agreement from around the room.
Belonging Matters
Sonu Rami, one of Birch’s colleagues at State Street, offered a practical example. She described joining the company as an international employee and being pleasantly surprised by how willing management was to listen. When Muslim employees asked whether a prayer room might be possible, the company responded positively.
It was not a major construction project. It was simply a recognition that different employees sometimes have different needs. For Sonu, that small decision communicated something much larger. People belonged. They were not merely being accommodated. They were being included.
Her story illustrated that attracting international talent is only part of the equation. Creating an environment where people feel genuinely welcomed may be just as important in encouraging them to stay.
Supporting Those Who Stay
Sheila Ryan picked up the conversation from another angle. Too often, she suggested, discussions about internationalisation focus on attracting newcomers. Less attention is paid to the people who are already here.
Many international residents have spent years building careers, raising families and contributing to local communities. They no longer see themselves as visitors. They see themselves as residents.
That observation shifted the discussion. If international residents are part of Fukuoka’s future, then policy and business discussions should not focus only on attracting more people. They should also support those who have already chosen to make the city their home.
Several participants around the room nodded in agreement. Internationalisation, they suggested, should be measured not only by how many people arrive, but by how many choose to stay.
Measuring Success Differently
Building on Bastien Barbier’s earlier question, Sonu Rami suggested that cities may be measuring success the wrong way.
“What should we actually measure?”
Instead of asking only how many people arrive, she suggested asking how many build long-term lives here. How many establish careers? Buy homes? Raise children? Start businesses? Recommend Fukuoka to friends overseas?
Her questions prompted one of the evening’s most thoughtful exchanges. If success is measured only by growth, cities may overlook the very outcomes that matter most to the people who choose to call them home.
Building on Existing Strengths
Laurie Griffiths argued that Japan sometimes underestimates its own strengths. While much of today’s attention focuses on artificial intelligence software, he suggested Japan is exceptionally well positioned in the hardware that powers AI, from semiconductor materials and advanced ceramics to precision manufacturing and industrial robotics.
Rather than trying to replicate Silicon Valley, he argued, Japan should build on the industries where it already holds a competitive advantage. Kyushu’s future may lie not in chasing every new trend, but in combining its long-established manufacturing expertise with emerging technologies.
His point broadened the discussion beyond population growth and urban development. Fukuoka’s future, he suggested, will depend not only on attracting people and investment, but also on building from the strengths the region already possesses.
Looking Back to Look Forward
One of the final audience comments came from Misato Yamada. While researching historical records, she had come across surveys conducted about fifty years ago asking Fukuoka residents about the city’s future.
To her surprise, many of the concerns sounded remarkably familiar: rapid growth, housing, transportation and the changing character of neighbourhoods. Residents then, like residents today, wondered whether the city was changing too quickly.
Yet looking back half a century later, another fact stood out. Despite those concerns, Fukuoka had continued to evolve. Its population had grown dramatically. New industries had emerged. Many of the challenges that once seemed daunting had, over time, been addressed in ways people could scarcely have imagined.
Her observation did not dismiss today’s concerns. Instead, it introduced something that had been largely absent from the evening’s discussion: perspective. Cities are never finished. Each generation inherits new opportunities and new challenges. The responsibility is not to predict the future perfectly, but to shape it thoughtfully.
The Conversation Continues
One question kept resurfacing throughout the evening.
“Successful for whom?”
There was no single answer. Nor should there have been. Some participants emphasized economic opportunity. Others focused on affordability. Others talked about neighbourhoods, public spaces, transportation, long-term planning, workplace fairness or belonging.
No one argued against growth. Equally, no one suggested that growth alone would guarantee a better future. Instead, the discussion pointed toward something more nuanced.
Success is not measured only by investment announcements, rising land prices or impressive skylines. It is measured by whether people continue choosing to build their lives here. Whether graduates decide to stay. Whether families can still afford to live in the city. Whether businesses invest for the long term. Whether communities remain welcoming as they grow.
Those are more difficult questions than simply asking how fast a city is expanding. But they are also the questions that will determine whether Fukuoka’s success endures.
Why Kyushu Roundtable Exists
Kyushu Roundtable was created to bring internationally minded people together to discuss the issues shaping Kyushu’s future. Not to reach consensus. Not to declare winners and losers. But to listen, question assumptions and learn from different experiences.
Just as importantly, it was created to build a public record of those conversations. On this evening, nearly 50 people from more than 15 countries did exactly that. Some spoke for only a minute. Others spoke at length. Together, they created a conversation that no single panel, organisation or profession could have had alone.
As participants filtered out into the warm Fukuoka evening, the discussion continued in small groups over drinks downstairs. The microphones had been switched off. The conversation had not.
About Kyushu Roundtable
Kyushu Roundtable is Fukuoka Now’s recurring public discussion series exploring the issues shaping the future of Kyushu. Each event begins with Kyushu News Flash, a curated review of recent regional developments, before opening the floor to an English-language discussion where participants from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds exchange ideas and experiences.
The next Kyushu Roundtable will be held on September 25. The main topic and guest commentators will be announced soon, and registration is now open.