Purpose of Establishment

At present, companies in Japan are faced with countless difficulties and challenges, including the overseas transfer of manufacturing bases, stagnation in domestic consumption, ongoing reorganization of factories in Japan due to increased competition from overseas companies, and steep price increases for raw materials, such as crude oil and steel. On the other hand, in the midst of changing production trends, from low-cost mass production to small-lot production of value-added products due to the diversification of consumer needs, in fields such as cutting-edge technology there are moves to bring manufacturing bases back to Japan. This is especially evident in the Tokyo metropolitan area, where efforts are being made by large corporations to further improve the level of products and technology through collaboration with educational institutions and governmental organizations, in conjunction with small and medium enterprises. In light of such moves, there are concerns in regional areas that companies located outside of Tokyo will be left behind and forced to amalgamate production bases.
Although Shirakawa City has been battling to attract more companies, which has resulted in many cases of corporate relocation, we believe that a key to industrial development is to promote existing companies, in addition to attracting other companies in order to create more employment opportunities, revitalize the local economy while taking advantage of the uniqueness of the local area, and secure independent sources of revenue. According to a survey conducted in February 2008, local companies want to increase the number of clients, secure key personnel, develop staff capabilities, and collaborate with universities and research institutions.

In light of the above, on the basis of the opinions and requests of members of the preparatory committee for establishing the Shirakawa Industry Support Center (provisional name), which was formed in February 2008, we decided to launch a support institute for the industrial sector (Shirakawa Industry Support Institute) in order to provide management consultation for existing companies, secure/train personnel, provide mediation between companies, promote industry/academia/government collaboration, promote interaction among companies, and provide start-up support for entrepreneurs. The aim of the city is to promote local industries with a focus on manufacturing by supporting the management and operations of Shirakawa Industry Support Institute.