Our territory of responsibility consists of the Tokai region (Aichi, Gifu and Mie prefectures) and, for certain sectors, the Kansai region (Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara, Okayama, Osaka, Shiga and Wakayama prefectures).

The Tokai region is a market of over 11 million people, mostly located in the urban area of the city of Nagoya. The region's GDP is equivalent to that of South Korea and Spain, and larger than that of India, Switzerland or Mexico. The region as a whole accounts for roughly 11 percent of Japan's total GDP. Economic indices show that the Tokai region has consistently outperformed all other regions in Japan over the past several years and is currently Japan's top performing region.

The Kansai region, which includes Osaka, the country's third largest city, and major urban areas like Kobe and Kyoto, is a market of over 25 million people. The region boasts a GDP larger than that of Canada and accounts for 19 percent of Japan's total GDP and 20 percent of Japan's foreign trade. Twenty-one Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters located in the Kansai region.

For the Kansai region, our small office of 4 people is only responsible for the agriculture, food, and building products sectors. Other sectors are covered by the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. For the Tokai region, we focus on commercial opportunities in these sectors:

• agriculture, food, seafood and beverages;
• building materials and construction;
• automotive and aerospace;
• new and emerging sectors, like biotechnology and new energy technologies.

Of course, opportunities exist in other areas as well and we will be happy to assist you with the support of our Embassy colleagues.

Priority Sectors

• Advanced Materials
• Aerospace & Defence
• Agriculture, Food & Beverages
• Environmental Industries
• Information & Communications Technologies