Local Platform:
Support System for Entrepreneurs and Venture Companies

The "Local Platform" is essentially the networking of industrial support systems, but more precisely, a structure of efficient and synthetic support for new enterprises, with a nucleus of central support not only recognized but also installed by each administrative region at the very core.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (MITI) supports this infrastructure improvement projects to help start new businesses in local areas.

Services

The core supporting organization in each region carries out the following services.

Total support for new business support facilities:

This service provides support for all activities -- from R&D to commercialization -- for tenant companies in new business support facilities (incubators).

Exploration of local resources:

This activity covers the collection of information from local companies and organizations to help explore seeds for new businesses.

Feasibility studies for commercialization and project realization:

This service offers feasibility studies on the development and realization of new products using local technologies.

Introduction of human resources for industrial support:

This activity promotes the development of human resources for the support of venture businesses. Under this program, retirees are provided with short-term training in faculty development courses at the Small and Medium Enterprise College, and then engaged in corporate activities for a limited period of time to obtain the knowledge and experience necessary to support new businesses.

Wide-area internship:

This service aims to match the human resource needs of local venture companies with the desires of young people, such as university students, to experience involvement in business activities.

One-stop service:

This service supports the development and improvement of a system that provides people who want to start up their own businesses or venture companies with integrated one-stop consulting opportunities. It also promotes the invitation of companies outside the local area and Japan to settle here.

Core Supporting Organization in Kansai

Local governments in Japan have industrial support organizations that encourage various stages of business operations, including coordination between technical seeds and market needs for new business start-ups, R&D, product development, production, and sales.

Core Supporting Organizations in each district are shown below.

Fukui Prefecture

FUKUI ASSOCIATION OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY
http://www.vcnet.fukui.fukui.jp/

Shiga Prefecture

SHIGA INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT PLAZA
http://www.iiib.ne.jp/ (Japanese only)

Hyogo Prefecture

THE HYOGO CORPORAITION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
http://www.hyogo-iic.ne.jp/ (Japanese only)

Wakayama Prefecture

THE WAKAYAMA CORPORAITION FOR THE PROMOTION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
http://www.wakkun.or.jp/ (Japanese only)

Kyoto City

ADVANCED SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY & MECHATRONICS RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF KYOTO
http://www.astem.or.jp/ (Japanese only)

Kobe City

KOBE CITY INDUSTRIAL PROMORTION FOUNDATION
http://www.kobe-ipc.or.jp/ (Japanese only)

The Nationwide Coordination of the Local Platform

Furthermore, to cooperate with core supporting organizations in Japan, The Japan Association of New Business Incubation Organization (JANBO) core supporting organization is established on June, 1999.

JANBO promotes the nationwide coordination of the local platform, as well as coordination with international organizations that support new businesses.