Osaka is the second-largest metropolis in Japan after Tokyo, which was, for a very long time – till this 12 months, probably the most populous metropolis on the planet – having misplaced the title this 12 months to Jakarta, Indonesia.
The “Vision of Global Financial City Osaka” is an initiative to construct a metropolis that pulls abroad funding, monetary establishments and world expertise, thereby supporting the expansion of the regional economic system.
In March 2022, Osaka Prefecture formulated a technique with a consortium of 33 firms and organizations – together with authorities our bodies, financial teams, and universities – launching the initiative by way of shut collaboration amongst trade, authorities, and academia.
The initiative promotes the enlargement into Osaka of overseas monetary companies together with asset administration and fintech companies. The defining function of the imaginative and prescient is its goal to drive industrial progress and deal with social points by way of the ability of finance, slightly than merely searching for to ascertain a monetary hub.
Constructing the dream
Osaka is the second largest financial middle after Tokyo and boasts world-class transportation infrastructure with a well-balanced mixture of industries.
Often known as a sexy metropolis that hosted the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025 and with main initiatives such because the IR growth underneath manner, Osaka serves as a sensible and extremely aggressive base for overseas firms increasing into Japan and different Asian markets.
Whereas being considered one of Japan’s main metropolitan areas, Osaka stays comparatively affordable – particularly when measured in opposition to Tokyo and different main cities in Asia – by way of workplace lease, labor prices and dwelling bills. The Economist ranked Osaka seventh on the planet and 1st in Asia in its “2025 International Liveability Index”.
Osaka additionally has lengthy flourished as a industrial metropolis and cultivated a tradition that embraces innovation and creation of latest worth. Right this moment, it boasts a extremely superior and numerous industrial cluster in DeepTech fields corresponding to life sciences and carbon neutrality.
Benefiting from these strengths and responding to the evolving world monetary panorama, Osaka goals to comprehend its personal distinctive mannequin of a world monetary metropolis with distinctive performance.
This contains enhancement of economic capabilities – also known as the “lifeblood of the economic system” – and promotion of the event of a enterprise surroundings the place firms of all sizes, from startups to world firms, can join with buyers and tackle new challenges.
Osaka’s particular initiatives
Within the International Monetary Metropolis Osaka technique formulated in 2022, the lengthy‑time period aim is ready for 2050. The 4 years main as much as the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025 are positioned as the inspiration‑constructing interval (Part 1). Throughout this part, Osaka set targets corresponding to attracting 30 overseas monetary firms and creating 300 startups.
To realize these targets and be sure that overseas monetary companies can begin their operations with confidence, Osaka has launched a variety of assist measures.
These embody a one-stop assist middle which gives English-language session companies for specialised inquiries corresponding to monetary licenses in addition to enterprise and each day issues. The prefecture has additionally launched English assist for administrative procedures, together with firm registration and numerous insurance coverage processes.
As well as, Osaka supplies subsidies of as much as 10 million yen for establishing a enterprise base in Osaka and has launched Japan’s first native tax incentive for overseas monetary firms, underneath which company tax, inhabitant tax and company enterprise tax will be lowered to zero for as much as 10 years.
Osaka additionally locations sturdy emphasis on enterprise matching assist, leveraging its intensive community, to satisfy particular wants.
Through the Osaka-Kansai Expo, Osaka Prefecture hosted 115 visits from abroad firms, welcoming roughly 2,000 guests.
Moreover, round 8,000 abroad companies participated in enterprise conferences, seminars, and associated occasions. The Expo has served as a catalyst for accelerating enterprise exchanges with worldwide firms.
Thanks to those initiatives, the strategic targets of Part 1 have been achieved: by the tip of FY2025, 31 overseas monetary firms had established their base in Osaka and 653 startups had been created.
In March 2025, new targets had been set for Part 2, protecting FY2026 to FY2030. These targets embody attracting 50 overseas monetary firms, creating 1,200 startups and elevating an quantity of 160 billion yen.
Future strategic instructions
Osaka Prefecture will work towards attaining the targets of the International Monetary Metropolis Osaka Technique (Part 2).
Leveraging the superior applied sciences showcased on the Expo and the worldwide connections shaped there, the prefecture will concentrate on strengthening strategic promotion to abroad buyers and inspiring funding and collaboration with firms primarily based in Osaka.
Aiming to turn into a front-running monetary hub, Osaka promotes monetary innovation by offering subsidies and different help for the demonstration of pioneering monetary companies, with a view to foster the formation of modern monetary merchandise/markets and monetary innovation.
Moreover, Osaka will advance initiatives to boost monetary literacy amongst residents and domesticate extremely expert monetary professionals by way of collaboration amongst monetary establishments, faculties, and authorities companies.
The prefecture may even enhance the enterprise and dwelling surroundings for abroad buyers by enhancing the tutorial surroundings, together with efforts to draw worldwide faculties.
Striving to be chosen
Realizing the imaginative and prescient of a International Monetary Metropolis is an important problem for Osaka because it strives to turn into a metropolis chosen by the world. To embed technological innovation into society, the ability of finance is important.
Below sturdy collaboration amongst trade, authorities, and academia, Osaka Prefecture will proceed to construct the inspiration for progress that extends past the Expo. Right this moment, Osaka is taking a big step ahead as a brand new hub contributing to options for world challenges.
