For Foreign Visitors (English)
- Ehime is taking on the challenges
of the post-COVID era. - Would you like to create a new future together in Ehime ?
Ehime Prefecture has long been highly regarded for its favorable location, including a warm climate, low risk of disasters like earthquakes and typhoons, excellent airport access, and a diligent, skilled workforce. Moving forward, we are committed to providing robust support for your business development through an "All Ehime" approach, collaborating with municipalities, economic organizations, educational institutions, and others.
This brochure details Ehime's excellent location advantages and incentive programs for business establishment. We sincerely hope it will deepen your understanding of Ehime and look forward to welcoming you as partners in creating a new future together.
Ehime's Distinctive Features
LOCATION
Ehime Prefecture's Location
Ehime Prefecture is located in the northwestern part of Shikoku, bordering Kagawa and Tokushima Prefectures to the east and Kochi Prefecture to the south. To the north, it shares the Seto Inland Sea with Hiroshima Prefecture, connected by the Shimanami Kaido, and to the west, it faces Oita Prefecture across the Bungo Channel.
The prefecture is broadly divided into three regions: the eastern part is called "Toyo," the central part is "Chuyo," and the southwestern part is "Nanyo." From Matsuyama city, the prefectural capital located almost at the center of the long, narrow prefecture, you can fly to Tokyo in about 85 minutes and to Osaka in about 50 minutes. Furthermore, it boasts excellent access, with the airport only about a 15-minute drive from central Matsuyama.
CLIMATE
Warm with little rainfall; almost no snowfall in the plains
The climate is warm with little rainfall, and even in winter, snowfall is rare in the plains. The mountainous areas are relatively cool, offering opportunities for winter sports, resulting in a diverse climate throughout the four seasons.
NATURE
-
Shimanami Kaido
-
Shikoku Karst
-
Mount Ishizuchi
-
Uwa Sea (Rias Coast)
-
Cape Sada
-
Menokawa Valley
-
Shimanami Kaido -
Shikoku Karst -
Mount Ishizuchi -
Uwa Sea (Rias Coast) -
Cape Sada -
Menokawa Valley
Beautiful landscapes and diverse natural environments
The Seto Inland Sea, dotted with numerous islands large and small and often called the “Mediterranean of the East,” creates a stunning coastal landscape. The Uwa Sea, with its continuous rias coastline — a series of deep, narrow inlets formed by submerged valleys — offers equally striking scenery. Furthermore, the majestic views of Mt. Ishizuchi, the highest peak in Western Japan, along with the surrounding mountains and the expansive Shikoku Karst, provide a rich and varied natural environment.
CULTURE & SPORTS
-
Matsuyama Castle
-
Dōgo Onsen
-
Botchan Train
-
Cycling
-
Uwajima Ushi-Oni Festival
-
Niihama Taiko Festival
-
Matsuyama Castle -
Dōgo Onsen -
Botchan Train -
Cycling -
Uwajima Ushi-Oni Festival -
Niihama Taiko Festival
Cultural Heritage and Cycling
Ehime is home to a rich cultural heritage, including Masaoka Shiki, the founder of modern haiku who was active primarily in the magazine Hototogisu, and Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe. It also served as the setting for Natsume Soseki's Botchan and Shiba Ryotaro's The Clouds Above the Hill. In recent years, the prefecture has been promoting a "new cycling culture" by developing the "Ehime Marugoto Cycling Route," aiming to transform the entire prefecture into a cycling paradise. This includes the highly renowned "Shimanami Kaido," celebrated as a cycling sanctuary.
Optimal Business Environment
Regional Industrial Clusters
Ehime: A Livable City
A Safe Living Environment
with Few Disasters
With a low earthquake frequency and fewer typhoon landfalls than the national average, this region presents an extremely low risk of disaster.
Top-Class Low Rent!
Affordable Cost of Living
Ehime Prefecture has a low cost of living compared to the national average, making it a comfortable place to live. The regional consumer price index, with the national average set at 100, is 98.7 in Matsuyama city, ranking it third-lowest in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions.
Ehime: A Treasure Trove of Talent
Excellent Young Talent Nurtured
in a Comfortable Educational
Environment
Ehime Prefecture is also known as an education-focused region, nurturing many outstanding talents who will lead the next generation within its comfortable educational environment.For companies considering establishing new bases, Ehime Prefecture and its municipalities will work together wholeheartedly to support resolving any concerns regarding securing talent.
Excellent Accessibility
Air Access
Expansion of Domestic Day-Trip Transportation Network
Matsuyama Airport is located just 15 minutes from central Matsuyama city. It was the first airport in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions to operate jet aircraft (1972) and boasts one of the highest passenger volumes in the region, offering domestic flights to 9 airports.
It also operates international scheduled flights to Shanghai, Seoul, Busan, and Taipei. The airport continues to pursue the establishment of additional international scheduled routes to neighboring Asian countries.
Land Routes
Expressways that Drive Corporate Vitality
The extension of the Shikoku Vertical and Horizontal Expressways and the development of the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Network, including the Nishiseto Expressway (Shimanami Kaido), have significantly reduced travel times. From Matsuyama city, it takes approximately 2 hours to reach the capitals of each Shikoku prefecture, and travel times to major cities in the Kansai and Chugoku regions have also been significantly shortened.
Estimated Travel Times from Matsuyama IC via Expressway
- Shikoku Area：
-
- Takamatsu City (Takamatsu Chuo) 1 hour 50 minutes
- Tokushima City(Tokushima) 2 hours 10 minutes
- Kochi City (Kochi) 1 hour 50 minutes
- Chugoku / Kansai Area：
-
- Okayama City (Okayama) 2 hours 10 minutes
- Hiroshima City(Hiroshima) 3 hours 00 minutes
- Osaka City (Suita) 4 hours 20 minutes
- Kobe City(Kobe Nishi) 3 hours 40 minutes
Sea Routes
RORO & Ferry Routes
Well-developed domestic and international shipping routes
Numerous ports are developed, including the six major ports of Mishima-Kawanoe, Niihama, Toyo, Imabari, Matsuyama, and Uwajima. RORO ships connect to the Kanto region, while ferries connect to the Kansai, Chugoku, and Kyushu regions, supporting corporate logistics efficiency and environmental measures.
Direct routes to South Korea, China, and Taiwan are also in operation, enabling trade with destinations worldwide through transshipment.
International Regular Container Routes
Incentive Programs
1Support for Attracting Manufacturing and Other Businesses
Target Industries
Manufacturing, 4 Distribution Sectors (Road Freight Transport, Warehousing, Packaging, Wholesale)
Requirements
- (1) Fixed asset investment amount: ¥100 million or more (¥30 million or more for locations in the Nanyo region)
- (2) Number of new employees: 10 or more (3 or more for locations in the Nanyo region) (Regular employees only)
- (3) Must commence operations within 3 years after designation as a designated factory
Support based on the Business Location Promotion Guidelines and
the Business Asset Lease Support Guidelines
2Support for Information and Communications-Related Companies and Offices
with Headquarters Functions
Eligible Industries
- Information and Communications-Related Companies
( Call centers, data centers, processing centers, information service industries, and internet-related service industries ) - Offices with headquarters functions (excluding those falling under the above categories)
- Offices used for research and planning departments, information processing departments, research and development departments, international business departments, and other administrative departments
- Research institutes, training centers
Requirements
- Commence operations within one year of designation as a designated business location
- Number of new employees
- Information services and internet-related services, offices with headquarters functions: 5 or more employees (regular employees only), one year after commencement of operations
- Call centers, data centers, and administrative centers: 20 or more employees at the start of operations (limited to regular employees)
Support based on the Office Location Promotion Guidelines
3Support for Investment in Advanced Growth Industries
Target Sectors
- Sectors Related to Specified Critical Materials
- Semiconductor-Related Fields
- Battery-Related Fields
- Advanced Materials
- Data Centers
Requirements
- Fixed asset investment of ¥10 billion or more
※Excludes investments solely for machinery/ equipment replacement - New employment of 10 or more persons (3 or more persons in Nanyo)
※No personnel requirement for data centers
Support Based on the Ehime Advanced Growth Industries Investment Promotion Guidelines
Contact Information
for Business Location Inquiries
Investment Promotion Division
kigyoricchi@
pref.ehime.lg.jp
Email inquiries can be handled in English and Chinese.