GREATER NAGOGYA INITIATIVE Monthly newsletter Issue No.8 January 2007
Greater Nagoya Means Greater Business Opportunities
***********************************************************************
GREATER NAGOGYA INITIATIVE
Monthly newsletter Issue No.8 January 2007
***********************************************************************
1. Event: GNI Symposium (Jan 19 2007)
2. Event: GNI Ubiquitous Cluster Symposium (Jan 30 & 31 2007)
3. Event: GNI Invitation Program for Taiwanese IT Companies
(Jan 30 – Feb 2 2007)
4. Event: GNI Invitation Program for Chinese Companies (Feb 2 – Feb 8 2007)
5. Greater Nagoya’s New Office Towers
6. Greater Nagoya’s Winter Resort
————————————————————————————-
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
1. Event: GNI Symposium (Jan 19 2007)
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
GNI will be holding the Greater Nagoya Initiative Symposium on January 19, Friday. This symposium is part of the “Greater Nagoya Cluster Forum (Monozukuri – The art of creating products with the spirit of research and creativity)” in Port Messe Nagoya (From January 18 to 19th 2007). Corporations in manufacturing, IT, biotechnology industries and many other corporations will be participating in the forum.
Topics for the symposium will include foreign investment promotion, and creation of infrastructures for further internationalization of Greater Nagoya. Since the Japanese government is aiming to quadruple foreign investment of 2001 by 2010, the discussion emphasizes and encourages local support for the new program, and promoting foreign companies to invest in Japan. This symposium is held to help understand our challenges for the new program. There will be discussions by the local administrations as well as the central government to examine advantage and disadvantage and attract more foreign investors into Japan’s local regions such as Greater Nagoya. Panelists will be executives of world’s leading corporations, overseas corporations, and administrations in Greater Nagoya, as well as a special advisor of the central government.
Date: Jan 19 (Fri)
Time: 13:30 – 17:30 : Greater Nagoya Initiative Symposium,
17:40 – 19:00 : Reception
Hosted by: Cabinet Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Greater Nagoya Initiative Center
Admission: Free
Place: Port Messe Nagoya (URL:http://www.u-net.city.nagoya.jp/pmn/English/english-frame.html)
Date: Jan 18 (Thu) & Jan 19 (Fri)
Time: 10:00 – 17:00 (both days)
URL: http://www.t-cluster.com/ (in Japanese Only)
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
2. Event: GNI Ubiquitous Cluster Symposium (Jan 30)
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
GNI Ubiquitous Cluster Symposium will be held on Tuesday January 30th 2007 in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture. This symposium is held to set up the Ubiquitous cluster in cooperation with academia and corporations in order to promote the project development globally by connecting with the world. Experts, professionals, and corporations specialized in this field and discuss topics on “Applications of sensor network for resolving issues on the current situations with food, agriculture, and education”. Presenters are university professors, researchers from IT research institutions, and executives of overseas leading IT corporations.
Date: January 30 (Wed)
Time: 11:00 – 18:00 (Symposium), 18:00 – 20:00 (Reception)
Location: Hotel Green Park Tsu (URL: http://www.greens.co.jp/gptsu/)
Admission: Free
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
3. Event: GNI Invitation Program for Taiwanese IT Companies (Jan 31 – Feb 2)
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
During this invitation program, the Taiwanese IT corporations will be visiting Greater Nagoya’s IT and technology centers in Gifu, Softpia* Japan and Technoplaza**. There will be a seminar at Softpia Japan on February 1, 2007. Softpia Japan is a hub for IT industry and Technoplaza is a hub created for development of science and technology. Topics at the seminar will include the current situations of foreign investment to Greater Nagoya, and advantages in investing in Japan for Taiwanese corporations. (Please note that topics are subject to change.) We will arrange business-partner-matching meetings and a reception along with the seminar.
*Softpia Japan :URL:http://www.softopia.or.jp/en/
**Technoplaza :URL:http://www.itbusiness-gifu.jp/e/shisetsu6.html
January 31 (Wed)
Industrial site tours, Visit Chubu (Greater Nagoya) Bureau of Economy Trade, and Industry, etc.
February 1 (Thu)
AM: Visit Gifu prefectural office, Softpia Japan
PM: 13:00 – 18:30 (Seminar & Business Partner-Matching Meetings), 18:30 – 19:30 (Reception)
February 2 (Fri)
Visit Techno Plaza
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
4. Event: GNI Invitation Program for Chinese Companies (Feb 4 – Feb 8)
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
City of Nagoya, one of the board members of Greater Nagoya Initiative, will be sponsoring to invite Chinese Corporations in manufacturing industry to Greater Nagoya next month. City of Nagoya will set up business-partner matching to find potential business partners in Greater Nagoya for the companies, which will be the program’s primary focus.
February 5 (Mon)
AM: industrial site tour, and visit incubator facilities,
PM: seminar (private)
February 6 (Tue): business-partner-matching meetings – all day
February 7 (Wed): business-partner-matching meetings – all day
*Please contact GNIC staff (Ms Miwa or Ms Miura) for further details on the above events.
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
5. Greater Nagoya’s New Office Towers
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Many office buildings are launching in Greater Nagoya now, and more headquarters and operation centers are expected to accumulate in this area.
The tallest building in Nagoya called “Midland Square”, 47 floors (about 810 feet) was opened last October. It is located right in front of Nagoya station, and Toyota’s headquarters for international affairs also have moved into the tower. Another tower called Lucent Tower, 40 floors (about 590 feet) is also about to open at Nagoya station on January 26. There will be an air-conditioned underground passage directly connected to the tower from Nagoya station, so you can walk to the building without suffering from the cold wind and rain. The tenants will be companies in manufacturing, finance, IT, and human resource industries, and about 25 restaurants and shops. TOYOTA Financial Service Corporation, Toyota’s financing company, will be moving its headquarters to Lucent Tower.
With the concentrations of headquarters and the solid infrastructures in Greater Nagoya (Central Japan International Airport, expressways, major harbors, and bullet trains), Greater Nagoya can be visited directly from overseas, not via Tokyo. These are few factors for ongoing developments in new business, technologies, services, commercial, and cultural activities in Greater Nagoya.
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
6. Greater Nagoya’s Winter Resort
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Greater Nagoya offers varieties of leisure activities throughout the year, and winter is no exception. It is time for skiing and snowboarding!
We are surrounded by mountains called Japanese Alpine Mountain Range at the height of around 3000 meters (about 9850 feet). There are more than 40 skiing and snowboarding grounds especially in Gifu prefecture in Greater Nagoya. The access to these resorts is easy since we have expressways connecting to these resorts, within a few hours from downtown Nagoya. For those who are not interested in winter sports, spa resorts are located within the ski resorts. One of the hot springs called, Gero Hot Springs is said to be one of the three best hot springs and spas in Japan for its quality of water. You can also enjoy beautiful villages of Shirakawa-go* (one of Greater Nagoya’s World Heritage) in Gifu in winter, illuminated by the light-ups in the snow. Greater Nagoya’s winter offers varieties of entertainment.
Skiing and Snowboarding: http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/atozlisting1.php?prefecture=Gifu
Hot springs and spas: http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/pref/HIMIKO/
*Shirakawa-go (World Heritage): http://www.jal.com/world/en/guidetojapan/world_heritage/shirakawago/description/
