Monthly Newsletters
This is a monthly business newsletter to enhance the mutual understanding of people in Fukuoka and in North America, including information about game-changing startups, the most significant US news, and news highlights from Fukuoka.
» TREE - Vol.5 August 2010 (English)
(日本語)
» TREE - Vol.4 July 2010 (English)
(日本語)
» TREE - Vol.3 June 2010 (English)
(日本語)
» TREE - Vol.2 May 2010 (English)
(日本語)
» TREE - Vol.1 April 2010 (English)
(日本語)
Quarterly Reports
» 2010年6月 スマートグリッドを“シュガーコート”できないか（PDFファイル 358KB）
» 2010年3月 米国市場に参入する県内企業のインターネット活用の課題（PDFファイル 388KB）
» 2009年12月 米国におけるITSの取り組み動向（PDFファイル 70KB）
» 2009年10月 みんなで作る次世代自動車（PDFファイル 1.1MB）
» 2009年6月 米国における水素・燃料電池車に関する教育普及活動の動向（PDFファイル 1.3MB）
Current News
September 7, 2010
Twenty-five undergraduate students from the Fukuoka Institute of Technology visited our office in the Plug and Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale. The students heard special lectures by Mr. Allen Miner of SunBridge Partners and Mr. Jupe Tan of Plug and Play as they learned about the true spirit of Silicon Valley. Visiting this habitat of innovators was an eye-opening experience for the students, and we hope that the visit will lead to the blossoming of entrepreneurship in Fukuoka.
December 23, 2009
The Fukuoka Products Promotion Council is proud to introduce various high quality foods, including YAME green tea, AMAOU strawberry jam, Rice oil, Germinated brown rice, and Japanese style confection, at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, January 17 through 19. "Fresh, Safe and Delicious!" this is the motto of the farmers in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. We produce many kinds of vegetables, fruits, and food products. The Fukuoka Products Promotion Council is a non-profit organization. The purpose is to help Fukuoka food companies and farmers build successful businesses in the world.
We look forward to seeing you at booth #530.
Contact in USA:
Ken Takenami
Invest Fukuoka North America
Tel: 408-507-8102
Fax: 408-583-4320
Contact in Japan:
Kazuko Shimada
Fukuoka Products Promotion Council
Tel: +81-92-643-3486
Fax: +81-92-643-3490
Fukuoka Prefecture began five years ago to work toward the creation of an environmentally friendly, low-carbon society. One part of those efforts, the Hydrogen Energy Test and Research Center, will begin operations next April. The center will conduct experiments testing products of that type, including the pipes, valves, and sensors used in fuel-cell cars or at hydrogen stations.
In addition, a Kitakyushu project for examining the use of hydrogen in society has been endorsed by the national government. It will supply hydrogen from hydrogen stations to nearby homes and shops. It is hoped that these projects will collect data and formulate the standards required for a low-carbon society.
Kyushu Electric Power revealed that it would build a 10,000 kW scale solar power plant in Omura, Nagasaki Prefecture. The power output will be the largest in Kyushu. Work will begin on the plant in FY 2011, and it is slated to begin operation in FY 2012. The company is already building a solar power plant with 3,000 kW output in Omuta, and hopes to increase to 3% the ratio of the power it generates by these new energy sources by FY 2018.
October 26, 2009
Fukuoka is famous for ramen throughout Japan, and the dish is a popular meal among local residents. Most of the wheat used to make the noodles is grown overseas, however. That's why growers in the prefecture developed their own variety for ramen use, which will be shipped for the first time this fall.
Fukuoka Prefecture ranks second nationwide in wheat production, but demand for the most frequently grown variety, used for udon noodles, has hit a ceiling. The new type for ramen is therefore expected to be appealing both to the farmers as well as the ramen industry, where competition is intense. Sources in the prefecture are confident the new variety will find many satisfied customers because trial tastings showed it was higher in protein and was chewier than other types.
A project is now underway to develop automobiles that are easy for the elderly to use. Participating are 35 of the nation's prefectural governments, and the organization promoting the project is chaired by Fukuoka Prefecture Gov. Wataru Aso. The federation of governors will move the discussion forward with the intent of creating a concept car by FY 2010.
According to the National Police Agency, accidents involving automobiles driven by the elderly have doubled over the past 10 years. Gov. Aso says the aim must be to build cars the elderly can use, rather than try to discourage the elderly from driving.
With the core Kyushu industries of automobiles and semiconductors suffering from the global economic downturn, Fukuoka Prefecture has embarked on two separate schemes to attract companies in the promising sectors of the aircraft industry.
The first involves the attraction of aircraft assembly plants to be located near the Kitakyushu airport. The second is the solicitation of institutions for training aircraft maintenance workers for airline companies throughout Asia. Fukuoka Prefecture will work with local business and financial groups, such the Kyushu Keidanren, to use its modern airport infrastructure and location near other Asian countries to achieve these goals.
A party of Ruby Business Commons and Fukuoka LSI Knowledge Cluster Team visited West Coast from Japan on September 14th. During short 1 week they inspected sophisticated IT companies in the SF Bay Area and Seattle, such as Adobe, Engine Yard, Yubico, Sun Microsystems, and Microsoft to study current state of Ruby in the U.S. to expand business. They also had a chance to exchange opinions with local engineers about Ruby, Ruby on Rails and JRuby. Though the schedule was crammed and busy, but inspiring so much, the mission in 2008 concluded with great success.
July 12, 2008
The 2008 MAP (Microelectronics Assembling and Packaging) Conference and Reverse Trade Show will be held November 26-28, 2008 in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture at the JAL Resort. Chaired by Professor Hajime Tomokage and sponsored by Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu City, the Asia Semiconductor Trading Support Association, JETRO and other organizations, the MAP conference provides an opportunity for North American companies in the microelectronics and packaging industry to present papers, display their technologies in a poster session, and network with potential partners and customers from Japan and Asia. Detailed information can be found at http://map-and-rts.com/blog1/, and English information (PDF file) is here. North American companies interested in participating in the conference can contact Invest Fukuoka North America to register or for additional information
June 26, 2007
Silicon Valley language services and technology company Elanex, Inc. has announced the opening of their second Japan office in Fukuoka City. Elanex will take advantage of the strong market base in the Fukuoka and larger Kyushu region, the region's lower cost structure, and the support services offered by Invest Fukuoka North America to expand their market share in Japan and in Asia. The new office, which will be lead by Mr. Matthias Nyitrai, will be Elanex's 6th office worldwide and will bring Elanex's unique technology-based translation and localization services to the expanding technology and manufacturing community in Fukuoka.
March 22, 2007
Fukuoka's Amaou strawberries are sold for the first time in the U.S., selling out in New York City even at $40 for a pack of eight to ten berries. The premium berries are a regional specialty, grown exclusively in Fukuoka Prefecture. The berries are sweet (Amai), round and plump (Marui) and simply delicious (Ouishi). Great care is taken to ensure the fruit never touches the soil, and the plants are carefully pruned to concentrate the flavor and increase the berries' size. North American companies interested in purchasing or marketing the berries can contact Invest Fukuoka North America.
September 24, 2006
In a The New York Times article published September 24, 2006, Fukuoka was described as "one of the best places in the world to see the works of world-class contemporary architects side by side." Fukuoka is home to the works of Kazuo Shinohara, Jon Jerde, Cesar Pelli, Rem Koolhaas, Steven Holl, Michael Graves, and others. The entire article can be read here.
July 3, 2006
Newsweek magazine selects Fukuoka City as one of the world's ten most dynamic cities, citing the city's status as a key gateway to Asia. According to the article, "many big brands from Toyota to Sony, Toshiba and Canon continue to pour money into manufacturing in and around Fukuoka" and "the city's main port, Hakata, is handling 50 percent more containers than it did just six years ago."
NY JAPANTOWN
