Welcome to the U.S. Consulate General, Osaka-Kobe

The Consulate General consists of Administrative, Consular, Political/Economic, Commercial, and Public Affairs (the Kansai American Center) Sections, and an Agricultural Trade Office.

Osaka-Kobe's consular district includes 17 of Japan's 47 prefectures and is spread across the west-central regions of Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Hokuriku. Kansai is the name given to the nine-prefecture region of western-central Japan, consisting of Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara, Wakayama, Mie, Fukui, and Tokushima. The Kansai region is Japan’s second-largest industrial, financial, commercial and population center after the greater Tokyo area (Kanto). Located about halfway between Tokyo and the southern tip of Honshu, Japan’s largest island, it is the birthplace of many of the country’s largest trading companies, home to several of the world’s largest banks, and headquarters to a number of Japan’s leading corporations including Nintendo, Kyocera, Sharp and Panasonic.

The Kansai region has a richly varied topography and covers an area with a radius of approximately 150 km (95 miles). While occupying only 11% of Japan’s total land area, the Kansai has a population of some 24 million people (19% of Japan’s total), concentrated primarily in the cities of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto. Kansai is an economic giant, with traditional industries of digital consumer electronics, electronic components, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles and apparel and sporting goods led by cutting edge new tech sectors such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, industrial ceramics, robotics and photovoltaic power technology. In FY2005, Kansai’s GRP (Gross Regional Product) was 101.1 trillion yen ($923 billion at $1=110 yen). If considered a country in its own right, the Kansai would rank as the 10th largest economy in the world and be comparable in size to countries like the Netherlands or Australia.

District (4 regions, 17 prefectures)

Kinki Region        (Hyogo Pref.  / Osaka Pref. / Kyoto Pref. / Nara Pref. 
                            Shiga Pref. / Wakayama Pref.)
Shikoku Region   (Kagawa Pref. / Tokushima Pref. / Ehime Pref.
                           Kochi Pref.)
Chugoku Region (Tottori Pref. / Shimane Pref. / Hiroshima Pref.
                           Okayama Pref.)
Hokuriku Region (Toyama Pref. / Ishikawa Pref. / Fukui Pref.)