A report analyzing corporate capital investment trends in the Shikoku region.
The survey was conducted with a deadline of July 3, 2025, targeting companies headquartered in the Shikoku region (Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi prefectures) and companies outside the region investing in the Shikoku region, specifically private companies with capital of 100 million yen or more, conducting detailed capital investment trend surveys. The survey content aggregates 2024 fiscal year capital investment results and 2025 fiscal year capital investment plans on a construction basis, conducting analysis reflecting the regional characteristics and industrial structure of the Shikoku region.
Based on Shikoku region's industrial characteristics, investment trends were analyzed in major fields including manufacturing, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, tourism, energy industries, and information and communications. Particularly, attracting attention are capital investments for industrial promotion utilizing Shikoku's geographical characteristics and strengthening logistics hub functions using Honshu-Shikoku connecting bridge transportation infrastructure, with confirmation of progress in infrastructure development toward sustainable regional development.
In manufacturing fields, capital investment is active in chemical, paper and pulp, food manufacturing, machinery, and textile industries, with efforts toward strengthening competitiveness and higher value-added of existing industries. Additionally, reports show increasing trends in investment toward introduction of environmental technologies, updates to energy-saving equipment, and smart factory conversion using IoT and AI technologies.
In the energy field, renewable energy-related investment has significantly expanded in solar power, wind power, small hydropower, and biomass power generation, confirming concrete progress in efforts toward improving energy self-sufficiency and decarbonization utilizing Shikoku's abundant natural resources.
In agriculture, forestry and fisheries, capital investment is progressing in high-quality agricultural product production technology improvement, fisheries modernization, and forestry mechanization and efficiency improvement, confirming primary industry competitiveness enhancement and promotion of sixth industrialization.
In tourism, investment is planned in tourism facility development utilizing natural landscapes and cultural resources, hot spring area modernization, and experiential tourism facility construction, confirming progress in efforts toward expanding exchange population and regional economic revitalization.
Regional economic ripple effects are expected including employment creation from capital investment, strengthening collaboration with regional companies, promoting technology transfer, and supporting young talent regional retention, playing important roles in population decline countermeasures and sustainable development in the Shikoku region.
The article evaluates this as an important indicator of industrial development strategies utilizing Shikoku region's natural resources and geographical characteristics, providing useful information for regional economic policy formulation and corporate investment strategy development.