Kansai Science City

Keihanna Plaza in Seika

Doshisha University in Kyotanabe

Kansai Science City (関西文化学術研究都市 Kansai Bunka-gakujutsu-kenkyū-toshi) is an unincorporated city located in the Keihanna Hills (京阪奈丘陵 Keihanna kyūryō), a border region between Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara Prefectures in Kansai region, Japan. It is about 25 km south from the city of Kyoto, 30 km east from the city of Osaka. The name is commonly shortened to Keihanna Science City (けいはんな学研都市 Keihanna Gakken-toshi) or Gakken-toshi (学研都市). The city was constructed to help the advancement of creative arts, sciences, and research, as well as to spur the creation of new industries and cultures.

Location

Kansai Science City is located in portions of the following eight cities (市 shi) and towns (町 chō), in three prefectures:

Osaka Prefecture

• Hirakata (枚方市 Hirakata-shi)
• Katano (交野市 Katano-shi)
• Shijōnawate (四條畷市 Shijōnawate-shi)

Kyoto Prefecture

• Kyōtanabe (京田辺市 Kyōtanabe-shi)
• Kizugawa (木津川市 Kizugawa-shi)
• Sōraku District (相楽郡 Sōraku-gun)
• Seika (精華町 Seika-chō)

Nara Prefecture

• Ikoma (生駒市 Ikoma-shi)
• Nara (奈良市 Nara-shi)

Out of these, Seika in Kyoto Prefecture is completely inside the Kansai Science City.

The overall area of the Kansai Science City is 150 km², with an estimated population of 410,000. There are 12 "Culture and Scientific Research Districts" within the Kansai Science City, encompassing 36 km², with an estimated population of 210,000.

Main research institutes and universities

Universities

• Kansai Gaidai University
• Osaka Electro-Communication University
• Doshisha University
• Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts
• Osaka University, Institute of Free electron laser (iFEL)
• National Nara Institute of Science and Technology

Research institutes

• National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International
• Shimadzu Corp. (Keihanna Research Laboratory )
• Kyocera (Basic Research Laboratory: optical and electronic devices, solar cells,advanced thin-film technologies)
• Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Kansai Photon Science Institute (Advanced Photon Research Center, Neutron Biology Research Center)
• NEC
• Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic)
• OMRON (Keihanna Technology Innovation Center)
• Santen Pharmaceutical
• Rohto Pharmaceutical Co.
• Kansai Electronic Industry Development Center (supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
• Ion Engineering Research Institute
• Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry )

Other

• Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
• Nara Research Institute for Cultural Properties
• Heijō Palace

Transportation

• West Japan Railway Company (JR West), Gakkentoshi Line
• Kintetsu Kyoto Line
• Keihanna Line
• About 100 minutes by bus from Kansai International Airport.
• Second Keihan Highway
• Keinawa Expressway

In 2016, a government committee planning the final Kyoto-Osaka segment of the Hokuriku Shinkansen proposed routing the new high-speed line through the Kansai Science City.^[1]

See also

• Hanshin Industrial Region

References

1. "北陸新幹線、「けいはんな」通る第３案　京都と大阪間、与党委". The Nikkei. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.

This article was translated from a portion of the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on December 10, 2006.

External links

• Foundation of the Kansai Research Institute

Coordinates: 34°45′N 135°43′E / 34.750°N 135.717°E