Business Opportunities

Shizuoka Prefecture serves as a junction between the east and west of Japan and has a well-established transportation system that includes highways, railroads and the Shinkansen (bullet train). In addition, the Port of Shimizu, which is located near the center of Shizuoka, has been recognized as an international trading port. Furthermore, Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport is under construction, and international routes will be scheduled in the near future. This sophisticated infrastructure ensures the smooth movement of goods, and perfectly satisfies diversified business needs.

Two major transport arteries - the Tomei Expressway and Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train) - stretch east to west in Shizuoka. They are easily accessible, since the prefecture has 16 interchanges (every 12 km or 10 minutes on average) and 6 Shinkansen stations (every 15 minutes on average). In addition, the construction of a new Tomei Expressway is underway. It will extend almost in parallel with the existing expressway, and will provide easier and quicker access to the Tokyo and the Chukyo Metropolitan Areas than ever.

The Port of Shimizu is located near the center of Honshu on the Pacific Ocean. It is a traditionally thriving trading point accessible by both land and sea. Today, it has the capacity of over 570,000 TEU (as of 2006) and connects to 40 principal ports around the world as one of the major international trading ports in Japan. In the future, the capability of container terminals will be further upgraded in order to accommodate the increase in the volume of containers and the upsizing of ships and vessels. In addition to the Port of Shimizu, the Port of Omaezaki, which is located at the westernmost tip of the Suruga Bay, operates scheduled international container liners, and is also growing in importance.

Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport is being built and will be opened in 2009. The new airport is conveniently situated only 40 minutes away from Shizuoka City (the prefectural capital) by car. In addition to domestic flights, international flights will be scheduled. Consequently, Shizuoka will become globally accessible by air and sea, and thus even more likely to meet business needs that corporations deem important.