Geography Matters: Japan: An OECD perspective

Geography Matters! In this seminar, the OECD will present the main findings of the OECD Policy Perspective “Geography Matters: Japan”, which provides a concise overview of Japan’s regional development trends and a place-based perspective on major policy priorities compared to those of other OECD Member countries. Geography Matters: Japan focuses on regional differences in productivity, investment, and labour supply and demand, as well as the challenges different regions face in the transition to net zero. It draws on a range of regional and city-level databases maintained by the OECD alongside national statistics for its member countries and analysis from across the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, and the four committees it serves – the Regional Development Policy Committee, the Committee on SMEs and Entrepreneurship, the Local Employment and Economic Development Committee and the Tourism Committee - to shed light on the challenges confronting Japan’s regions and offers inspiration on how OECD countries are seizing opportunities and responding to challenges across different policy areas, including regional development, SME and entrepreneurship, local employment and skills or tourism policies.
Geography Matters: Japan will be published in November 2026.