With its advanced land, sea, and air transport network,
Okayama Prefecture is growing more and more as a key distribution center.
The land transportation network includes the massive Seto Ohashi Bridge,
a key link between the islands of Honshu and Shikoku, and the expressways,
the Seto Central Expressway and Sanyo Expressway, criss-cross Okayama,
and join it with neighboring prefectures and beyond. In addition, there
are now over one hundred companies operating out of the new Okayama General
Distribution Center in the south, and sale of lots at the Okayama Northern Distribution
Center is expected to begin in the fiscal year 2003.
Mizushima Port is Okayama's hub for sea transport, and work on an international
container terminal equipped with gantry cranes on Tamashima Harbor Island
is well underway. It is expected to be completed by the end of the 2001
fiscal year.
By air, the Okayama Airport Air Cargo Terminal was completed in 1998.
The airport's runway extension to
3,000 meters was completed in October, 2001. Okayama has a key geographical
advantage in serving as a transportation hub, and is building on this
by improving distribution facilities and infrastructure to allow even
greater access to the massive market in the region. |
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The Okayama Airport has been designated a FAZ and in 1998, the Okayama
Airport Air Cargo Terminal was completed. In 2001, the runway
extension to 3,000 meters was completed and opened for usage.
There are currently eleven scheduled flights to international destinations
per week (Shanghai, Seoul, and Guam). |
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The Mizushima Port Facility is fifth in the nation for quantity of
freight handled (91.2 million tons in 2000). 20 Regularly
scheduled shipping routes connect Mizushima with four nations
and one region. (25.0 landings per week
from South Korea, People's Republic of China, Taiwan,
Vietnam and Thailand).
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The Chugoku Expressway, the Okayama-Yonago Expressway, the Seto
Central Expressway, and the Sanyo Expressway, traverse Okayama Prefecture
and there are two key intersections along these routes that are
key links in Okayama's distribution network.
(Shown is the Seto Ohashi Bridge) |
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| Major Distribution Centers |
Sale of lots in the Okayama General Distribution Center (photo)
has been brisk, with more than one hundred companies establishing
operations there.
The Thuyama General Distribution Center : Sale of lots began in
June 1998
The Okayama Northern Distribution Center : Sale of lots began in the fiscal year 2003.
The Tamashima Harbor Island : Sale of lots began in the 2000
fiscal year. |
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With a highly developed network of expressways and the substantial
distribution infrastructure in place, Okayama's potential as a major center
for goods distribution is now being realized.
In recent years, the increase in warehousing floor area and new industry
start-ups in Okayama attests to these strengths (see graphs) |
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Growth in Warehousing Area in Chugoku-Shikoku's
nine Prefectures |
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Growth in New Factory Site Areas in Chugoku-Shikoku's
nine Prefectures (1991 to 1998) |
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In order to show the strength of Okayama's position as leader
in the region for the distribution of goods, we ran a simulation where
goods were sent from four prefectures in the region (Okayama, Hiroshima,
Kagawa, and Hyogo) to the Chugoku-Shikoku Region, the Hanshin Region (Osaka/Kobe),
and Fukuoka. The results showed that Okayama came out first when it came
to the least amount of time for goods to reach their destination, and
the lowest total cost of transporting them there.
When selecting a base for distribution to a large area, factors such as
the degree of development of the road network, land prices, transport
time, and cost are crucial. By all of these measures, Okayama Prefecture
offers tremendous advantages. |
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Shipping Time for 100,000 Tons of Freight within
Chugoku-Shikoku, Osaka-Kobe, and Fukuoka Over a One-year Period
(Simulation). |
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Total Shipping Costs for 100,000 tons of Freight
within Chugoku-Shikoku, Osaka-Kobe, and Fukuoka over a One-year
Period (Simulation). |
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