The Kansai Region, which was the political and economic center of Japan for centuries, is an enormous market with a population of 21.7 million, and with Osaka at its center.

Geographically, Osaka is the center of Japan and can reach most major Japanese cities within an hour by plane. The Shinkansen (bullet train) connects Osaka and Tokyo in only 2.5hours, transporting 500 million travelers each year.

Osaka is not only the hub of Kansai, but also the hub of Asia. Both Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport are located within 30 minutes from downtown Osaka, making Osaka a convenient gateway to fly to other Asian cities within a few hours.

In addition to be accessible by land and air, Osaka is accessible by sea via Osaka Port. Foreign trade in terms of freight cargo tonnage at Osaka Port in 2000 consisted of approximately 24.48 million tons of imports and 8.9 million tons of exports.

Neighboring Asian countries were the number one points of origin for imports as well as destinations for exports, consisting of 68% of all imports and 66% of all exports, followed by North America.

Both geographically, and in business, Osaka is the central hub of Japan.