According to the results of a survey released by the Kyushu Economic Research Center (KERC), the number of foreign companies with offices in the nine prefectures of the Kyushu-Yamaguchi-Okinawa region reached 496, up 19 from the last survey in 2011. The increasing number of Korean software companies setting up shop in the area is of particular notice, but the lion’s share of foreign companies are North American (47.6%) and European (40.3%). The most represented foreign countries are the United States, Germany and France. KERC sees the recent increase of foreign tourists as a potential driver for increased foreign investment in Kyushu. “If people visit the area and see how attractive it is, they may want to come back as investors,” said a KERC official. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 7/30
(Photo: COSTCO Wholesale, Kitakyushu)
