Teruyuki Takahashi, Managing Director of the Osaka Representative Office in France

How can you help French investors who want to find out more about Osaka and the region?

Teruyuki Takahashi - Our office was opened in 1992 with the aim of attracting European investors to Osaka. We provide information about the city, and offer services such as introductions and appointments with future business partners, as well as French-Japanese interpreting.

What did the economic crisis of the 90s change in Kansai's economic and industrial landscape?

T. T. - The ten years following 1990 saw the transfer of production units from industry to China to make way for the development of service industries. Osaka lost some of its vitality, but every effort was made to develop new industries.

What are the fastest-growing economic sectors in Osaka Prefecture and further afield in Kansai?

T. T. - Osaka's new growth sectors for mass consumption include biotechnology, robotics, NICT and health. It's important to note that Osaka was historically a leading city in the development of manufacturing industry, which explains its strong involvement in robotics. The presence in Osaka of a robotics laboratory, specially dedicated to robot R&D, makes it an important point of experimentation and information exchange. Numerous teams come together regularly in this laboratory to develop robots for cleaning aquariums, railway stations and shopping centres, as well as assistance and security robots, robots for hospital use, and so on.

CONTACT > Osaka Representative Office - 29, rue des Pyramides 75001 Paris - Tel: 01 40 15 93 66 - Fax: 01 40 15 91 72 - Internet: http://www.osaka.fr