(1) Location & Access

- Osaka is the central city of the Kinki region, located roughly 1 hour by air or 2 hours 30 minutes by bullet train west of Tokyo.
- Osaka ranks second in daytime population, behind the Tokyo metropolitan area. Its nighttime population is approximately 2.63 million, ranking it third after Yokohama.

(2) Overview

Osaka has a history as a thriving industrial and commercial city, yet centralization to Tokyo during and after World War II has gradually increased the discrepancy between the two cities. Following the collapse of the "bubble economy" (1987 to 1991), the concentration of business activities to Tokyo has seen increased progress, and many conglomerates and pharmaceutical companies based in Osaka have effectively relocated their headquarters to Tokyo.

The office areas in Osaka City have formed with Midosuji, which runs north to south through the city center, as the axis. Of particular note is the area along this street and around the Yodoyabashi subway station, a long-standing office area housing many major corporations. The local government has limited the height of buildings along Midosuji, maintaining its image as an organized office area, but this policy has had a negative effect from an economic standpoint. Recently, many companies have moved away and many shops have closed down, compounding the issue of aging buildings. A possible change in the height restriction is being considered, with the aim of increasing economic benefit.

Meanwhile, new buildings are being constructed in the area around JR Osaka Station, forming a new and growing office district. The large plot of land that was formerly a rail yard located at the station's North Exit (the Umeda North Yard) is under redevelopment, with four buildings, including a large office building, condominiums and a hotel scheduled for completion in 2011.

(3) Profile Data

1. Major office buildings: year completed, major owner
Breeze Tower: 2008, Sankei Building
Mainichi Intecio: July 2007, Mainichi Newspapers 31,600 m2
Yodoyabashi Mitsui Building: 2008, Mitsui Fudosan
Osaka Business Park (OBP): MID REIT
Umeda Sky Building: 1993, Sekisui House

2. Major companies headquartered in Osaka City
Nippon Life Insurance, Sumitomo Life Insurance, Osaka Gus, Kansai Electric Power, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Kintetsu Corporation, Daikin Industries, Sharp, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Mizuno

3. Major facilities
Department stores: Hankyu, Daimaru, Sogo, Takashimaya, Kintetsu
Touristic places: Osaka Castle, Universal Studio Japan
Hotels: Rihga Royal Hotel Osaka, Swissotel Nankai Osaka, Westin Osaka, Hilton Osaka, Hyatt Regency Osaka, Ritz-Carlton Osaka