Japan has the third largest economy in the world, after the United States and China, in terms of nominal GDP in 2011.
Although Japan is the 2nd position for GDP in Asia, Japan shall be your wise choice to expand your business by appealing to one of the biggest market in the world. The entry to Japan is not so difficult, compared to some other countries where there are a significant staffing challenge of talent recruitment and retention, the administrative licensing including difficulties of gaining business licenses and product approvals, the cost increase including labour and materials inflation, the competition with state owned companies and the intellectual property right enforcement.
Not only shall the size of economy, but also safe preservation of your investment shall be essential. When natural disasters occurred, riots and loots were reported in many countries, whereas when Japan encountered the historical Tsunami and nuclear plants’disaster, such incidents and panic were not born at all.
You can be rest assured with the honesty of the Japanese people. This can be, for example, proved at the Tsunami Disaster in 2011, by the fact that people have turned in to police centers thousands of wallets found in the debris containing the amount equivalent to $48 million in cash, and 5,700 safes containing cash equivalent to $30 million that were washed ashore.
Japan provides a safe and stable business environment for the global companies.
Japan boasts large numbers of leading global companies, and scientific research experts with proprietary technologies which support these global companies. Many Japanese firms rank high in the international patent applications (PCT applications) with 12 companies in top 30 of the 2011 statistic. Such advanced technologies are continuously supported by huge R&D investment and by substantial number of researchers.
The chances of recruiting above competent Japanese researchers to your company shall not be forgotten for your further development of technologies.
Japan can offer the foreign companies great chances of doing business with such Japanese companies and opportunities to connect with advanced technologies.
In addition to the advanced technology, Japanese products and fashions are attracting strong interest worldwide. Many foreign companies find business potentiality in Japanese people’s sophisticated taste and choose Japan as the first market place to enter Asian countries. For example, Japanese consumers are fashion-conscious and adopt new fashion into their lives quickly. Japan can be the best market for test marketing before entering the Asian markets.
In this respect, starting business in Japan means not only that you target the Japanese market, but also the right first step to enter the Asian market, rapidly growing and becoming increasingly influential in the world economy.
Japan is also recognized as a leading center for innovation in Asia
Japan has some of the best advanced infrastructure (ICT infrastructure), needless to say the basic infrastructure for a safe, secure and comfortable environment, too.
Japan has an efficient public transportation network. Japanese public transportation is proud of its punctuality and its superb service.
Airport
Number of airports: 96 airports. Airports can be accessed within one hour from 70% of the areas.
International hub airports: Narita, Haneda, Chubu and Kansai
Regular International flight service: 29 airports
Rate of arrivals on time: JAL is ranked number one among the world's leading airlines.
Railways
Shinkansen bullet trains: 6 routes. 2.5 hours from Tokyo to Osaka, 341 services day (Tokaido Shinkansen line, one of 6 routes)
Widespread railways network, including the subway systems in major large cities
