United States Consulate General
Naha, Okinawa, Japan

By Japanese standards, Okinawa's market is relatively small; it has a population of 1.34 million (just 1% of Japan's total), and its per capita income of 2,125,000 yen. Although Okinawa does not hold as much potential for trade development as other regions of Japan, there are still some significant opportunities within this market. Okinawa is, in fact, the only prefecture in Japan with which we routinely enjoy a trade surplus. Okinawans tend to be more open than other Japanese to imported food and consumer goods, especially from the U.S. The two largest sectors of the local economy are tourism and construction. This provides opportunities for resort-related design and architecture work, and supplying sports and outdoor equipment and construction materials

Okinawa also has some unique advantages. It has the youngest workforce in Japan, a workforce which is actually still growing thanks to a robust birthrate. Okinawa also has the lowest wage scales, low commercial property rates and a range of tax incentives and subsidies for potential investors and employers. Service industries seeking to cut their costs and become more competitive in the Japanese market have begun relocating their back office operations from high-wage, high rent Tokyo to low-wage, low rent Okinawa

The Consulate General works closely with American businesses, and trade related sections of the American Embassy as well as local Chambers of Commerce in developing trade fairs and sales promotions and assists U.S. businesses in making contact with local concerns and officials. We also work closely with Okinawan businesses to link them with potential suppliers in the U.S.

LINKS

Foreign Commercial Service

Foreign Agricultural Service

American Chamber of Commerce in Okinawa

American Chamber of Commerce, Japan