A detailed report summarizing the results of a special questionnaire survey on corporate behavior conducted by the Development Bank of Japan, targeting mid-tier enterprises with a deadline of July 3, 2025.
This survey was conducted as part of the Regional Capital Investment Plan Survey (June 2025), comprehensively examining mid-tier enterprises' awareness of management environment, investment behavior, human investment, digitalization, and decarbonization initiatives.
Mid-tier enterprises are characterized by recognizing labor shortages, successor shortages, and rising personnel costs as major risks, while viewing domestic and international policy reviews as growth opportunities more than large enterprises.
Regional capital investment trends show significant increases in Hokuriku, Hokkaido, and Tokai regions for 2025 fiscal year, with double-digit growth plans confirming positive investment attitudes toward regional economic revitalization.
In human investment, the survey provides detailed analysis of mid-tier enterprises' unique talent acquisition challenges and countermeasures, attitudes toward wage increases, and digitalization efforts for operational efficiency. It reveals the reality and specific response strategies of mid-tier enterprises facing more serious labor shortages compared to large enterprises.
Regarding digitalization investment, the survey examines the current state of DX promotion in mid-tier enterprises, AI utilization efforts, challenges and possibilities in data utilization, revealing differences in initiatives by company size and regional characteristics.
For decarbonization initiatives, the survey specifically examines the reality of energy saving and renewable energy introduction in mid-tier enterprises, challenges in cost burden and price pass-through, and expectations for policy support, analyzing differences in initiatives from large enterprises and regional variations.
Regarding succession issues, the survey details preparation status for business succession, attitudes toward M&A and third-party succession, and challenges in business continuity, highlighting structural challenges faced by mid-tier enterprises.
The article reveals through quantitative data the reality that mid-tier enterprises face unique management challenges different from large enterprises, demonstrating their important role as regional economy supporters and future growth potential.