KENTO<\/a> \u2014 the Northern Osaka Health and Biomedical Innovation Town \u2014 focuses on health, medical innovation and healthy longevity. It is home to the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center and the National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition. Research institutions, companies and local communities are working together on preventive healthcare, health data and new products and services.<\/p>\n In central Osaka, Nakanoshima Qross<\/a> is focused on bringing future medicine closer to clinical use and the market. Opened in 2024, it brings together medical institutions, R&D facilities, startups and business-support organizations, with regenerative medicine as a major focus alongside genomic medicine, AI and IoT.<\/p>\n Across the three hubs, different functions of the innovation process are taking shape: drug discovery in Saito, health innovation in KENTO, and the industrialization of future medicine at Nakanoshima Qross.<\/p>\n From Research to Market<\/p>\n Osaka\u2019s strategy reflects wider changes in global healthcare.<\/p>\n Ageing populations are driving demand for longer healthy life expectancy. AI is reshaping drug discovery, regenerative medicine is advancing toward broader clinical application, and health data is becoming increasingly important for research and prevention.<\/p>\n Osaka is backing these fields with regulatory, research and laboratory infrastructure. The Kansai branch of Japan\u2019s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, or PMDA, is located at Nakanoshima Qross, while national research organizations and strategic special-zone frameworks support the wider innovation environment.<\/p>\n Shared and turnkey laboratories at Nakanoshima Qross and KENTO also allow startups and overseas companies to begin research without constructing facilities from scratch.<\/p>\n Osaka also operates within a broader Kansai life sciences network. Biocommunity Kansai, or BiocK<\/a>, describes its strategy as a shift \u201cfrom concentration to collaboration,\u201d connecting universities, corporations, startups and investors across Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.<\/p>\n Source: Osaka Bio Headquarters<\/a><\/p>\n A Softer Landing for Global CompaniesFor international companies entering Japan, Osaka is developing practical support alongside its research base.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/peeuja7yacj6vo9puscty0.jpeg\")
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