Osaka Station District

The Osaka Station District situated in the heart of Kansai is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world. The area expanding north of Osaka Station is called Umekita, where projects are taking place to establish a hub for creating new industries in Asia.

Umekita’s First Phase Development Zone

Umekita’s First Phase Development Zone which opened in 2013, has truly demonstrated attractive community development by accumulating high level urban functions and creating spaces enriched with greenery and water. This zone has the Knowledge Capital located in the center, which is a hub that creates new industries, businesses, products and services by supporting interactions among researchers, creators, entrepreneurs, companies and consumers.

In addition, the organization formed by private business operators is aiming to create an attractive urban environment and sustainable community by conducting efforts such as providing circular-route bus services as well as open-air cafes in public spaces. In order to make these efforts continuous and expansive, the Osaka City Government is conducting area management through public-private collaboration.

Community development in Umekita’s Second Phase Development Zone

The objective of Umekita's Second Phase Development Zone, on the west side of the First Phase Development Zone, is to establish a hub with a harmonious blend of green spaces and innovation. By leveraging its geographic advantage of being the most accessible city in the Kansai region, we aim to develop a community that attracts capital investment and talented people from around the world in order to raise the international competitiveness of not only Kansai but also the entire nation. To that end, we are developing train stations that connect directly with Kansai International Airport to enhance Osaka's function as a key hub for the Kansai region and as a gateway to Asia, and are also developing urban parks that can provide various functions in case of disaster.

This green space zone that is about eight hectares in size will include an urban park located in the center and the remaining areas for developing commercial facilities and office buildings will be integrated with greenery. The aspiration is to construct a new kind of urban landscape that is unparalleled in this world.

Infrastructure projects such as JR's project to relocate feeder lines for the Tokaido Line underground and new-station construction, land repurposing, and urban park development, as well as private development works are underway for this community development, in collaboration with the Osaka Prefectural and City governments, Urban Renaissance Agency (UR), and private developers. In February 2023, JR completed the underground relocation of feeder lines for the Tokaido Line, and opened the new part of Osaka Station (Umekita Area) in the following month.

Furthermore, the public and private sectors jointly established a hub that links R&D facilities in Kansai with industry in September 2022, in line with the theme for creating new industry "Life Design and Innovation." The hub plays a central role in activities to foster innovation.

The Osaka Prefectural and City governments, Urban Renaissance Agency (UR), and private developers will continue to work together on developing the Umekita Phase 2 area into a hub that combines "attractive green spaces for people from all over the world" with "urban functions that make world-leading innovation happen and enhance Osaka's international competitiveness." The Phase 2 area is scheduled to open partially in advance in the summer of 2024, the year before the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and to open fully in 2027.