Where is Ibaraki?

Basic parameters of Ibaraki Prefecture

 

Well-balanced industries

Primary industry

• Gross agricultural product for 2021 was 426.3 billion yen, the 3rd largest in Japan.
• Ibaraki is Japan’s number one producer for many products, such as melon, lotus root, green pepper, and mackerel.

Secondary industry

• Tsukuba City is a center for science and technology related industries including the robotics industry (more details below).
• Hitachi City, where the global enterprise HITACHI was founded, has many electric and electronics related companies.
• The Kashima coastal industrial area is a center for heavy and petrochemical industries such as Nippon Steel (former Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal).

Tertiary industry

• By taking advantage of the transportation network and the population density, the service industry is well provided all over Ibaraki Prefecture

An Ideal environment for R&D

Research hub for Innovation

One-third (29) of Japan’s research Institutions are located in the Tsukuba Science City in southern Ibaraki.Multiple research institutions offer collaboration research program or shared access to facilities.

 

High concentration of highly skilled scientists

• Number of Researchers : 20,000 (as of November 2023)
• Number of Ph.D : 8,000 (as of November 2023)
• Number of Foreign researchers : 6,196 (as of November 2019)

G7 Interior and Security Ministers’ Meeting held in Mito, Ibaraki from December 8 to 10, 2023, came to a successful conclusion thanks to the understanding and cooperation of prefectural residents and various organizations.

3 research institutions with bases in Tsukuba were selected into the National Research and Development Agency

• Based on a national strategy, these 3 research institutions are aiming for the highest global standard
• With the possibility of increasing the salary of successful researchers

Innovation Hotspot

• More than 250 academic and research venture companies
• Incubation offices that support venture companies and startup companies
• Various networking organizations supporting disciplines of science such as natural science and robotics

Tsukuba International Strategic Zone

Within the Tsukuba International Strategic Zone, 9 science related projects are in presently the works. This Zone offers support programs such as easing of regulations, financial aid for R&D companies and tax aid.