Virtually situated in the center of Japan, Kansai is a region that served as the capital in ancient times and has developed over the years as the nation’s center of politics, economics and culture. It is a goldmine of historical heritage and cultural assets, and features world-class industry and R&D. Its bountiful natural environment creates beautiful vistas regardless of the season. Accurately communicating this appeal of Kansai and the latest trends in the region to those inside and outside Japan is key in broadening an understanding of not only Kansai but also Japan as a whole.

As information dissemination functions tend to be concentrated more and more in Tokyo, it is becoming difficult to get that information on Kansai to those throughout Japan and all over the world. Most of the valuable information disseminated from Kansai must temporarily pass through Tokyo, so it tends to get buried in the massive mountain of information focusing on the Greater Tokyo region. In addition, a large volume of today’s information involves a complicated mix of various issues, making it necessary to comprehensively and strategically disseminate the information on Kansai.

Based on these circumstances, efforts were put into deliberating upon measures to strengthen global-reaching information dissemination functions that can, via a wide-area public/private partnership, directly communicate information on Kansai to Japan and the world as close to real time as possible. This has resulted in the development and promotion of various endeavors and enterprises, all of which include dissemination via a portal website, delivery of newsletters to foreign organizations and the like, and support for coverage of the area by foreign journalists.

All of this has been promoted as a way to reinforce information dissemination capabilities in a way unique to Kansai. Nonetheless, the needs of those receiving the information are bound to increasingly diversify and the trend toward borderless information is expected to continue with much intensity. We pledge to monitor any new directions in media development and fully exploit the expertise we have developed and the networks we have built with domestic/overseas media organizations. Our goal is to further strengthen our ability to deliver information related to Kansai and promote a more vibrant Kansai along with a mutual understanding between the region, Asia and the world beyond.