JETRO Event Highlights Significant Investment Potential in the Greater Sapporo Area
The FY2025 JETRO Collaborate & Invest Japan Networking Event recently concluded. The event successfully gathered leaders from international and domestic companies, government agencies, and academia for engaging discussions on successful Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cases and innovation strategies.
The proceedings reinforced our view that Japan, and particularly the Hokkaido-Sapporo region, holds immense potential for attracting overseas investment and expanding global business ventures.
A standout success story was the ES CON Field Hokkaido (Hokkaido Ballpark) in Kitahiroshima City, which is adjacent to Sapporo.
Opened in 2023, this state-of-the-art facility has quickly become a multi-purpose regional hub, operating beyond its role as a professional baseball stadium. Its appeal—encompassing gourmet dining, entertainment, and year-round events—is remarkable. It draws significant numbers of tourists not only from outside Hokkaido but also from overseas, making a substantial contribution to the local economy.
Its strategic accessibility, being just 16 minutes from central Sapporo and near New Chitose Airport, enhances its appeal. This case study was highly praised as a model of strong public-private partnership, successfully stimulating economic revitalization and generating new industry clusters across the region.
The success of the Kitahiroshima Ballpark demonstrates that the potential for economic growth and industrial innovation extends far beyond central Sapporo into the entire surrounding region.
Sapporo City is actively promoting this expansive ecosystem through initiatives like STEP (Sapporo Transnational Expansion & Partnership), our dedicated one-stop support desk for foreign companies, and various startup ecosystem programs. We are committed to maximizing the region’s strengths in food, tourism, IT, and food tech to create a broad innovation ecosystem and foster global co-creation opportunities.
Moving forward, Sapporo City will continue to collaborate with JETRO and other partners to actively develop an environment that makes it easy for innovative domestic and international companies to establish a presence in this region.
We invite you to explore and join the dynamic ecosystem of the Sapporo area.
