Business location in Karatsu City, in the city's own figures
Karatsu City states in its Basic Plan for Promoting Commerce and Industry (2nd, March 2025) that it has signed location agreements with 47 companies since the municipal merger. The administrative evaluation for FY2023 records 44 company attractions (general) against a target of 41. For a new manufacturing site with an investment of 200 million yen or more and 5 or more employees, incentives include a 5-year property tax exemption followed by a 5-year 50% reduction, and an employment grant of 500,000 yen per new local hire (up to 25 million yen).
This page is part of the Karatsu Data Bank, made by Karatsu Farm & Food, a nonprofit in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is for companies considering an office, factory or shop in Karatsu City, and for the people who advise them. It sets out the figures and statements that Karatsu City publishes on location agreements, incentives, the industrial park and vacant properties. It draws no conclusions and gives no evaluation. All sources are in Japanese. The Japanese names of plans and schemes are given in the source list so that the originals can be found.
Karatsu City's population and migration figures are on Population and Migration in Numbers, and its vacant house figures on Vacant Houses in Karatsu City.
| Indicator | Current | Target | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companies attracted: manufacturing, etc. (cumulative since FY2005) | 35 | 39 | 2nd plan |
| Companies attracted: office-type, such as IT-related (cumulative since FY2005) | 9 | 13 | 2nd plan |
| Companies attracted (general) | 44 | 41 | evaluation |
| Companies attracted (cosmetics) | 8 | 9 | evaluation |
| Local businesses newly entering the cosmetics industry | 7 | 9 | evaluation |
Location agreements and company attraction
The 2nd basic plan says the city has "signed location agreements with 47 companies since the municipal merger, creating many local jobs" (Basic Plan for Promoting Commerce and Industry (2nd) p.18). The plan does not say as of when the 47 is counted.
The same plan sets targets for companies attracted (cumulative since FY2005): manufacturing, etc. from 35 in FY2023 to 39 in FY2027, and office-type companies such as IT-related companies from 9 to 13. The administrative evaluation covering FY2023 records 44 company attractions (general) against a target of 41, and 8 in cosmetics against a target of 9 (Karatsu City administrative evaluation).
In its section on issues, the same evaluation says that "9 location agreements were signed, leading to 159 new local jobs, and the degree of target achievement is considered high (as of 31 March 2024)". The document does not say whether the 9 and the 159 are for one year or for a longer period.
| Fiscal year | Company (as published) | Location | Business or main products | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 石井食品株式会社 | (announced agreement; not yet on the list page) | Agreement signed 27 July 2026. Operation planned to start in January 2027 | Karatsu City |
| FY2025 | 佐賀酒類販売株式会社 | Kitahata, Karatsu City | Wholesale of alcoholic beverages (agreement signed 31 March 2026) | Karatsu City |
| FY2025 | 株式会社IPT | Kyomachi, Karatsu City (inside KARAE) | Support for introducing Microsoft 365 SharePoint; embedded software development for vehicle control and communication equipment, etc. | list |
| FY2025 | 株式会社アイエスゲート | Karatsu City | Development and sale of a multilingual X-ray inspection support system; contract software development, etc. | list |
| FY2024 | 五洋食品産業株式会社 | Ishishi, Karatsu City (Ishishi Industrial Park) | Manufacture of frozen Western-style confectionery | list |
| FY2024 | 本州印刷株式会社 | Hamatama Town, Karatsu City (extension on own site) | Increased production of cosmetic samples and manufacture of new products such as refill pouches | list |
| FY2024 | 株式会社ORENDA WORLD | Karatsu City | Sound quality conversion development, development of image editing technology using generative AI, development and operation of virtual space simulators, etc. | list |
| FY2024 | 千寿製薬株式会社 | Ishishi, Karatsu City (extension on own site) | Manufacture of ophthalmic pharmaceuticals | list |
| FY2023 | アンテナ株式会社 | Karatsu City | Website production, web marketing, social media marketing | list |
| FY2023 | いきや食品株式会社 | Hamatama Town, Karatsu City | Meat processing | list |
| FY2022 | 有限会社河太郎 | Yobuko Town, Karatsu City | Craft beer brewing | list |
| FY2022 | ニシハツ株式会社 | Chijika, Karatsu City | Manufacture of emergency generators | list |
| FY2021 | 天生水産株式会社 | Nakasedori, Karatsu City (Myoken Industrial Park) | Frozen food (salted and dried products) manufacture | list |
| FY2021 | 合同会社プラスチックリサイクル | Kyuragi Town, Karatsu City | Plastic pellet manufacture (recycling of waste plastics) | list |
| FY2020 | 有限会社ルズ | Hamatama Town, Karatsu City | Planning, development and manufacture of fragrance products | list |
| FY2020 | 本州印刷株式会社 | Hamatama Town, Karatsu City | Package printing for cosmetics and health foods, and product set-up | list |
| FY2020 | 株式会社マルタイ | Ishishi, Karatsu City (Ishishi Industrial Park) | Noodle manufacture | list |
| FY2019 | 山口精機工業株式会社 | Minamijonai, Karatsu City | Design of moulds for automotive plastic products | list |
| FY2019 | ポラテック西日本株式会社 | Sashihama-machi, Karatsu City | Purchase, processing and sale of building materials | list |
Companies that located since FY2019
Karatsu City's list of companies with location agreements has 18 rows for FY2019 to FY2025 (17 companies; 本州印刷株式会社 appears in FY2020 and FY2024). The businesses include food manufacturing, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, IT (website production, software development, development of image editing technology using generative AI and others), plastic products and recycling (Karatsu City).
Announcing agreements signed on 31 March 2026 and on 27 July 2026, the city said that "the number of location agreements signed in FY2025 has reached 3" and that "the number of location agreements signed in FY2026 has reached 1" (Karatsu City, March 2026, Karatsu City, July 2026).
| Category | Industries | Investment requirement | Employment requirement | Main support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special category | Manufacturing (factories, research facilities) | New: 200 million yen or more; extension: 500 million yen or more | 5 or more | Property tax: exempt for 5 years after location, then halved for the next 5 years. Employment grant: 500,000 yen per new local hire (up to 25 million yen). Grant for transferred staff, etc.: 500,000 yen per person (up to 25 million yen) |
| Special category | Road freight transport, warehousing, packing, wholesale | New: 1 billion yen or more; extension: 2 billion yen or more | 5 or more | Same as above |
| Special category | Business support services | No investment requirement | 3 or more (10 or more for back-office operations) | Same as above |
| Incentive category | Manufacturing, road freight transport, warehousing, packing, wholesale | 25 million yen or more | 3 or more | Location grant: up to the amount equivalent to property tax, for 3 years. Employment grant and grant for transferred staff: 500,000 yen per person (each up to 25 million yen). Interest subsidy: the portion up to 1% a year, for 7 years (up to 1 million yen) |
| Incentive category | Business support services | No investment requirement | 3 or more (10 or more for back-office operations) | In addition to the grants and interest subsidy above: equipment subsidy, half of the cost of acquiring or leasing equipment (up to 50 million yen); training subsidy, half of the training cost for new local hires (up to 200,000 yen per person); building rent subsidy, half of the rent for 2 years from the start of operation |
Karatsu City's business location incentives
Under the Karatsu City Ordinance on the Promotion of Business Location, the city offers incentives in two categories, the special category and the incentive category, depending on the amount of investment and the number of employees (Karatsu City). Business support services have no investment requirement in either category, and the employment requirement is 3 or more (10 or more for back-office operations). The equipment, training and building rent subsidies are listed as support for business support services within the incentive category.
| Scheme | Area | Main content |
|---|---|---|
| Property tax exemption for depopulated areas | Former Ochi Town, Kyuragi Town, Hizen Town, Chinzei Town, Yobuko Town and Nanayama Village | Property tax exempt for 3 years for manufacturing, sale of agricultural, forestry and fishery products, inns and hotels, information services, etc. |
| Exemption for remote island promotion areas | Takashima, Kashiwajima, Madarashima, Ogawashima, Kakarashima, Matsushima, Mukaeshima | Property tax exempt for 3 years |
| Exemption under the Regional Future Investment Promotion Act | All of Karatsu City | Property tax exempt for 3 years, with requirements such as a total acquisition price over 100 million yen (over 50 million yen for agriculture, forestry and fisheries) |
| Uneven taxation for nuclear power plant siting areas and peninsula promotion areas | Former Karatsu City, Hizen Town, Chinzei Town and Yobuko Town | Property tax rate of 0.14% in year 1, 0.35% in year 2 and 0.70% in year 3 |
| Grant for areas hosting power plants (nuclear siting benefit) | Former Karatsu City, Hizen Town, Chinzei Town and Yobuko Town | Lighting contracts: 4,212 yen a year per contract. Power contracts: 2,100 yen a year per kilowatt of contracted power |
| Business location support benefit for areas around nuclear power plants (F subsidy) | Former Karatsu City, Hizen Town, Chinzei Town and Yobuko Town | Requirements include increases in contracted power and electricity charges and an increase of 3 or more general insured persons under employment insurance. The benefit, including the power plant area grant, is roughly 40% of electricity charges |
| Furusato loan (Karatsu City Regional Comprehensive Development Fund Loan) | Karatsu City | Up to 1.05 billion yen, interest free. Requirements include total capital investment, excluding land, of 10 million yen or more and at least 1 new hire |
Other incentives outside the ordinance
Karatsu City's page on other business location incentives lists, besides the ordinance, property tax exemptions for depopulated areas, remote islands and under the Regional Future Investment Promotion Act, benefits for areas around nuclear power plants, and the furusato loan (Karatsu City).
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Iwaya, Kyuragi Town, Karatsu City (about 30 minutes by car from central Karatsu) |
| Total area | 27.9 hectares |
| Area for sale | 18.7 hectares (187,868 square metres, planned) |
| Effective area | 14.1 hectares (141,637 square metres, planned) |
| Sale price | Not yet set |
| Current state | Not yet developed |
| Developers | Karatsu City and Saga Prefecture |
| Access | 2.0 km to Kyuragi Station (JR Karatsu Line), 50 km to Tosu IC (Nagasaki Expressway), 25 km to Karatsu Port, 74 km to Fukuoka Airport |
Industrial park: New Industrial Cluster Area Karatsu (Kyuragi)
Karatsu City and Saga Prefecture are planning the New Industrial Cluster Area Karatsu in Iwaya, Kyuragi Town. The total area is 27.9 ha, the area for sale 18.7 ha and the effective area 14.1 ha. The sale price has not been set and the site has not yet been developed. The intended industries include cosmetics, medical, semiconductors, robotics, and automotive and aircraft (Karatsu City).
From 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2030, Karatsu City is recruiting intermediaries, such as licensed real estate brokers, for its success-fee company attraction scheme for industrial park sales. When a sales contract is concluded and the transfer of ownership is complete, the city pays a success fee of 3% of the sale price of the industrial land plus consumption tax (Karatsu City, implementation guidelines).
| Ref. | Type | Location | Area | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3-1 | Office | Konya-machi | Floor area 73.05 m² | For rent |
| R3-2 | Office | Konya-machi | Floor area 76.63 m² | For rent |
| R3-5 | Land | Yabuta | Site 1,425 m² | For sale |
| R3-6 | Office | Minamijonai | Floor area 133 m² | For rent |
| R4-1 | Land | Kitahata Kishiyama | Site 2,556 m² | For sale |
Offices and office space
The 2nd basic plan says that "as there are few office properties in the city that IT-related companies can move into, new industrial parks and office properties need to be considered" (Karatsu City p.18). The administrative evaluation covering FY2023 says that "as there are few offices to receive IT-related companies, a subsidy for building owners who convert existing buildings into office space is being considered" (Karatsu City administrative evaluation). As far as we searched on 6 November 2026, we found no city page showing that this subsidy has started.
The city's vacant property page, updated 30 October 2026, lists 5 properties: 3 offices (all for rent) and 2 plots of land (both for sale), with no factory or warehouse buildings (Karatsu City; count by us). The city invites information on vacant factories and office properties. On attracting IT-related companies, the city's page says that "fibre optic cable will be installed throughout the city by FY2024" (Karatsu City).
Enquiries about offices, shops and factory sites in Karatsu
Karatsu Farm & Food works with 富士不動産, a real estate company in Karatsu City, under the Karatsu Relocation Project (唐津移住計画), which handles enquiries about housing, vacant houses, shops and offices. Brokerage and its fees are handled by the licensed real estate broker; we provide information and coordination. We do not accept referral fees. Our consultations are held in Japanese. You are welcome to write to us in English through our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
Q1. How many companies have located in Karatsu City?
According to the Karatsu City Basic Plan for Promoting Commerce and Industry (2nd, March 2025), the city has signed location agreements with 47 companies since the municipal merger. The administrative evaluation for FY2023 records 44 company attractions (general) against a target of 41.
Q2. What subsidies and incentives does Karatsu City offer to companies?
Under the Karatsu City Ordinance on the Promotion of Business Location, there are property tax exemption and reduction, an employment grant of 500,000 yen per new local hire (up to 25 million yen) and interest subsidies. Business support service companies can also receive subsidies for equipment (up to 50 million yen), training (up to 200,000 yen per person) and building rent (half, for two years).
Q3. Have IT companies or satellite offices located in Karatsu City?
The city's list of companies with location agreements includes IT-related companies from FY2023 to FY2025, in website production, software development and the development of image editing technology using generative AI. The 2nd basic plan sets a target of raising the number of office-type companies, such as IT-related companies, attracted from 9 in FY2023 to 13 in FY2027.
Q4. Is there industrial land available in Karatsu City?
The New Industrial Cluster Area Karatsu (Iwaya, Kyuragi Town) has a total area of 27.9 ha and 18.7 ha for sale. The sale price has not been set and the site has not yet been developed (Karatsu City page, updated 11 October 2024).
Q5. Are there offices for rent in Karatsu City?
The city's vacant property page, updated 30 October 2026, lists three offices (two in Konya-machi and one in Minamijonai, all for rent) and two plots of land. The city does not act as an intermediary for these properties.
Sources
| Source | Publisher | Date | URL | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karatsu City Basic Plan for Promoting Commerce and Industry (2nd) (唐津市商工業振興基本計画（第2次）) | Karatsu City | 2025-03 | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/24171.pdf | 2026-11-06 |
| Administrative evaluation (FY2023) (行政評価（令和5年度対象）) | Karatsu City | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/16544.pdf | 2026-11-06 | |
| List of companies with location agreements (進出（立地）協定締結企業一覧) | Karatsu City, Business Location Division | 2026-03-31 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/1174.html | 2026-11-06 |
| Location agreement with 佐賀酒類販売株式会社 (立地協定の締結) | Karatsu City | 2026-04-03 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/45293.html | 2026-11-06 |
| Location agreement with 石井食品株式会社 (立地協定の締結) | Karatsu City | 2026-07-29 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/50248.html | 2026-11-06 |
| Incentives supporting business in Karatsu City (唐津市での事業展開を後押しする優遇制度のご紹介) | Karatsu City, Business Location Division | 2026-04-15 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/45314.html | 2026-11-06 |
| Other business location incentives (その他企業立地優遇制度) | Karatsu City | 2026-09-28 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/4639.html | 2026-11-06 |
| New Industrial Cluster Area Karatsu (新産業集積エリア唐津) | Karatsu City | 2024-10-11 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/3086.html | 2026-11-06 |
| Vacant properties (空き物件) | Karatsu City, Business Location Division | 2026-10-30 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/2148.html | 2026-11-06 |
| Call for intermediaries for success-fee company attraction (成功報酬型企業誘致業務の媒介事業者の募集) | Karatsu City | 2026-04-01 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/1435.html | 2026-11-06 |
| Implementation guidelines for success-fee company attraction (唐津市成功報酬型企業誘致業務実施要領) | Karatsu City | 2023-04-10 in force | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/uploaded/attachment/2972.pdf | 2026-11-06 |
| Attracting IT-related companies (IT関連企業誘致) | Karatsu City | 2024-10-11 updated | https://www.city.karatsu.lg.jp/page/4422.html | 2026-11-06 |
Reading the numbers
・The 47 agreements since the merger is the figure in the text of the 2nd basic plan (March 2025); the plan does not say as of when.
・The list of companies with location agreements shows companies "currently operating or preparing to operate" and does not match the number of agreements. An extension by the same company is a separate row.
・The evaluation's "9 location agreements" and "159 new local jobs" are given as of 31 March 2024, but the document does not say whether they are figures for one year.
・The industrial park page was last updated on 11 October 2024 and does not show later development or sales.
What this page does not cover
This page does not cover the total investment or employment of each company that located, the number of companies that withdrew, or the number and rents of private office space, because we found no city documents to confirm them. The subsidy for converting existing buildings into offices is not included, because we found no document showing that it has started.
Citing this page and enquiries
To cite these figures, or to ask about finding local data, use our contact page or info@karatsu-f-f.com. When citing, please give the URL of this page and the name of the original source.
About this page
By Hiroaki Kojima (Vice Director, Karatsu Farm & Food) / Contact: info@karatsu-f-f.com (contact page) / Published 6 November 2026 / Markdown: karatsu-business-location-data.mdThis page is made together with AI. See this data bank and AI for how.
Related links
▶ Karatsu Data Bank
▶ Population and Migration in Numbers: Karatsu and Saga
▶ Vacant Houses in Karatsu City
▶ Karatsu City Finances in Numbers
▶ AI and data training, and support for inquiry-based learning and ESD
▶ 日本語版