The Development Bank of Japan Inc (DBJ) is a strong supporter of Japan’s tourism sector as well as a devoted promoter of local economic development.

The DBJ has been supporting projects in the Japan’s tourism industry such as the Tourism Vitalization Mother Fund, which was launched in 2015 with activities that includes joint investments with regional banks in three region-specific, tourism vitalization baby funds. Leveraging both financing and industrial expertise, the Fund is designed to assist inter-region, inter-company coordination and corporate restructuring initiatives.

DBJ was also instrumental in the establishment of the Setouchi Brand Corporation (SBC) and the launch of the Setouchi Tourism Vitalization Fund to vitalize the Setouchi region’s tourism industry that was part of a grand design consisting of relevant national authorities, banks, and sever prefectures’ local governments and private firms. All parties collaborated in creating a strategic tourism promotion entity, the Setouchi Destination Management Organization (DMO).

DBJ’s presence as an impartial, government-owned entity plays a catalytic role in balancing the interests of the parties toward a common goal – making larger, synergetic contribution to the region’s tourism development and economic growth. As such, DBJ will continue to deploy both its innovative risk capital-financing expertise, to proactively support Japan’s tourism industry and the growth of its local economies.

DBJ’s “Local Tourism Industry Support Initiatives” won the 2017 ADFIAP Outstanding Development Project Awards, under the Local Economic Development Category.