The Keiyo Coastline Industrial BeltThe 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.
Tokatsu Techno Plaza (Kashiwa City) provides
various support services for small businesses and venture startups in Higashi-Katsushika region.
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.
However, due to issues like the intensification of competition due to globalization, a shrinking domestic market due to aging population and declining birthrate, and the difficulty of finding successors, small businesses are facing a harsher and harsher environment every year.
Recognizing this, Chiba in engaged in a 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.
We cultivate the market for excellent new or original products by designating them under our "Monodukuri" Certified Goods system. Here are just a few examples of unique products designed by Chiba entrepeneurs:
A fully-automated nucleic acid extraction device that can extract and purify high purify DNA, RNA, etc. in a short amount of time.
A six-shaft hybrid robot, the first in the world of its type that can handle objects weighing more than a ton.
A wheelchair for elderly persons that fuses design with function, incorporating individual configuration technology where all parts of the wheelchair can be adjusted to provide a maximally comfortable fit to a particular user.
The world's smallest micro surgical thread, which makes it possible to stitch a blood vessel 0.1mm in diameter.
(Left: Needle 30μm in diameter and 0.8mm long with 11μm nylon thread; Right: 0.5mm diameter mechanical pencil lead)
