Port of Chiba
The Keiyo coastline industrial belt is a world-class concentration of energy and materials Industry. The Keiyo coastline industrial belt, a 40-km strip of densely concentrated steel plants, oil refineries, chemical plants, power generation facilities, and other heavy industry along Tokyo Bay, has been a pillar of Japan's economic growth since the 1950s and ranks as one of the world's leading concentrations of energy and materials industry. Today it faces two big challenges: keeping up with low-cost competition in Asia and the need to reduce CO2 emissions.
Thus in 2007 we began the "Energy Frontrunner Chiba" Initiative, where various companies in different industries will trade hot steam, cold temperatures, byproducts gases, and other "waste products" so that no company will throw away a resource that another company can use. The resulting leap in energy and resource efficiency is projected to lower costs, boost competitiveness, and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1.3 million tonnes per year.
Supporting Small Businesses That Support Communities
Chiba Prefecture is home to a large number of small and mid-sized businesses whose creativity and "one-of-a-kind" craftsmanship produces goods that are popular across the world. Such businesses also play a large and active role in contributing to local economies.
Manufacturing
Industry in Chiba Prefecture is ranked 6th in Japan with shipment value of manufactured goods from business establishments with more than 4 employees amounting to 15,430.8 billion yen in 2008. The same year, the number of business establishments was 6,610 and the number of employees 227,224.
The foremost industries are petroleum industry, chemicals industry, and steel industry. The contributing proportions for each of the above-mentioned industries to the shipment value of manufactured goods in 2008 were 23.6%, 21.0% and 14.2%, respectively, and the three industries accounted for 58.8% of the total shipment value of manufactured goods (2008; Report on Results of Industrial Statistics Survey).
In the inland area, industrial parks are being developed taking the area's strengths into consideration, and the welcoming of leading-edge industries and growth industries is actively promoted. Currently, and various enterprises, including those in processing and assembly industries, are locating their facilities there.
The shipment value of manufactured goods made in the coastal areas constitutes 64.2% of the total, and that in inland area constitutes 35.8%. (Source: Results of the Industrial Statistics Survey of Commerce and Industry in Chiba Prefecture, etc.)
Recognizing this, Chiba is engaged in a long-term small and mid-sized business vitalization strategy, under which we provide continuous support for the establishment, growth, and development of small businesses, promote the use of local resources by local businesses, and provide support in employee training and procurement, so that we can help our small businesses keep up with the changes around them.