How to Start a Business in Japan: Spotlight on Shiga
(Shiga Prefecture business support services for solopreneurs and SMEs of all shapes and sizes)
Whether you’re looking to start a business in Japan’s Shiga prefecture, or grow an SME already located in beautiful Kansai, this growing list of resources should help. Want me to feature you on this list? Please reach out.
Page Updated: April 5, 2021
Starting a Business in Shiga?
Ask the Government
Get help from prefectural establishments geared interested in attracting and keeping SMEs in Shiga.
Look to Private Industry
Work with those already in the trenches and develop the resources that will help you and Hyogo grow together.
Location Resources
If you need physical office or manufacturing space for your business in Japan, Shiga has tech and industrial parks, and plenty of other commerical real estate to assist you in your venture.
Starting from Scratch?
Working on a Startup in Shiga? Let’s see who is here to help you pull that off.
How to Start a Business in Shiga
(Shiga Prefecture’s ten biggest cities: Ōtsu, Kusatsu, Nagahama, Higashiōmi, Hikone, Kōka, Ōmihachiman, Moriyama, Rittō, and Konan)
Howdy, all, I’m Doc. I live in the beautiful port city of Kobe, JAPAN. I launched this site to help others interested in working with, or starting, a business in Japan.
We all wear different hats, my job is to help you find the one that fits you best. Thanks for reading, and go get ’em!
Entrepreneurial Business Support, and Brainstorming Prompts to Help You Start a Business in Shiga Prefecture
- Shiga’s Water Environment Business Promotion Forum
- Shiga Prefectural SME resource page (subsidies, support, events, etc.) (In Japanese)
- Future Venture Capital (has had a Shiga office since 2007)
- Shiga Intercultural Association for Globalization’s by-phone, business and labor suport for workers in Shiga (English, Chinese, Spanish, Portugese, Tagalog)
- Old news is good news. From the Low-Carbon Asia Research Project: “Shiga’s scenario towards the realization of a sustainable society.” This is a great resource about sustainability in Shiga. Lots of info on the players, initiatives, etc. As I always say, ask “What worked, What didn’t work, What can we do now?”
- JETRO, Shiga Office
- “The Battle to Save Japan’s Freshwater Pearl Industry,” from The Japan Times
- Shiga University of Medical Science’s participation in the EDGE Program run by Waseda University: “Waseda-led consortium for next-generation entrepreneurship education”
- Got a food business idea? Check out Smart Kitchen Summit, Japan 2020. It’s virtual! Here is the 2018 lineup!
- Lake Biwa Environmental Science Research Center
- Manufacturing is key to Shiga. This is a great Asahi Shimbun article about how innovation takes place and gets past hurdles, and on to progress.
- From Sake to biotech, Shiga has it all, not to mention the beautiful landscape. Grab a quick look into opportunities you might pursue with this anime from Planet-ta-kun’s tour of Shiga.
- Shiga-ken is Philbert Ono’s magnificient resource on all that is Shiga. If you don’t already live in Shiga, but are considering a business there, I’d start here to see what life is like in this beautiful spot in Japan!
- Shiga’s Nagahama City region is a manufacturing powerhouse.
- The Biwako Visitor’s Site is informative and a great idea generator. What sort of support structures can you provide for what draws people to Shiga, or fuels activity in Shiga for the local population?
- Otsu Chamber of Commerce
- Digimom Workers (Design Firm in Shiga led by female entrepreneurs). Here’s the founder’s story: “How one female entrepreneur made it work for her”
- “The Entrepreneurial Behavior of Sake Brewing Business Owners: Research on the Business Change of Japanese Sake Makers in Shiga Prefecture”
- Banking often drives local investment. Have a sneek peek into what’s on Shiga Bank’s mind by reading their “Five Challenges to Regional Revitalization” report.
- Kyocera is in Shiga. TONS of opporunity there.
- Artists, crafts pros, entrepreneurs, musicians, and performers of all stripes will find opportunitiees at the Shiga Theater for Cultural and Industrial Development. Practice Rooms, Meeting Rooms, theater, and performance hall…
- Shiga Collabo 21 Incubator. (In Japanese)
- Can you support the food industry in Shiga? Management? Logistics? Transportation? Marketing? Much of business creation is about knowing where to point yourself, and what’s happening in your area. When things are difficult to research in Japanese, a few pointers like the Biwako Food Company website in English can get you acquainted quickly.
- Need to book a business hotel in near Otsu, or elsewhere in Shiga? Booking.com has some of the most useful search tools and access to a large inventory of properties. It’s the only tool I use when traveling in and out of Japan.
Labor Force (2015)
Number of Establishments (2014)
Statistics: Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
More Shiga Area Business Resources
Business Incentives in Shiga
Real Estate and Finance in Shiga
Get detailed information on 760 business services companies in Shiga, 110 government offices, and 11 non-profits including financial statements, sales and marketing contacts, top competitors, and firmographic insights at Dun & Bradstreet.
Want to explore business opportunities in all eight regions of Japan? Visit our regional resource collections below. (Only Kansai is live at the moment, more coming as things develop throughout 2021!)
Start Your Business in the Kansai Region’s Shiga Today.
Hello Otsu （Otsu Tourism Promotional Video)
大津市の観光PRビデオです。Passion for Otsu 滋賀県大津市 - Youngest Woman Mayor in Japan : Naomi Koshi
Naomi KoshiLet’s Build Something Together
Shiga is my wife’s home prefecture! I’ve done my best to include a variety of resources here that might help you launch, or grow a business in our beautiful Kansai region, but if I’ve missed something, or if you’re looking for something in particular, please reach out and I’ll see what I can do to help.
Cheers,
Doc
I need help recruiting experienced and new staff...
Throughout 2020, I’ll be fleshing out these individual sections on each prefectural page. In this section I’m going to cover mid-career recruiting here in Japan, as well as some of the work I’m doing with my SkilledJapan.com service.
If you’re a recruiter, and would like to be interviewed for this page, or are interested in sponsoring this section, please reach out via the Nihon Hustle contact form on the left side of this page.
Thanks!
Doc
What industrial clusters are common in Shiga?
There numerous industrial clusters throughout the Kansai / Shiga region. Below are a few of our more prominent sectors:
◇ A cooperative effort in Shiga between companies, universities, medical institutes, financial institutes, and the government, is umbrellaed under the concept of “Shiga Health Special Zone.”
◇ Manufacturing, R&D, and environmental / sustainablility operations are also widespread, while not necessarily clustered.
What are some of the largest overseas firms in Shiga?
Over time, I’ll build this resource out, but here are a number of companies you can focus on for now:
- Japan Vilene
- Bayer Yakuhin
- Croda Japan
- RECARO, Japan
- Amphenol, Japan
- The Procter & Gamble Company
- KERN-LIEBERS
- Kyocera
- Amphenol
- IOXUS, Japan
- Taitoh trading
- AstraZeneca
- Illinois Tool Works
- Deloitte
- Mayfran
Are there venture funds, or private investors for startups in the area?
Members of the Japan Venture Capital Association are understandably active throughout the Kansai region, including Shiga. Below are a few VC firms that consistently pop up on the radar in Osaka and in nearby Hyogo. If you would like to be listed here, or are interesting in our sponsorship package, just reach out using the Nihon Hustle contact form on the left of this page.
Do you have any prefecture-agnostic (but specific) resources available?
Yes! On our resources page you can find all sorts of research, case studies, guides, stories, and links that might help you further research your market here in Japan.
Do you recommend any tools for businesses?
I do, actually. All of the tools I use personally in my business, or that I have reviewed and tested, are on my Toolbox page.
Need to book a business hotel in Otsu, or elsewhere in Shiga?
Get the best rates below.
Cover photo of Lake Biwako in Shiga prefecture by Hiroko Yoshii on Unsplash.