The Department of Economic Affairs of the Hokkaido Government has summarized the number of newly built or expanded business facilities in the prefecture. FY 2019 saw 94 new facilities, which was eight less than the previous year. In order to reduce the risk of simultaneous disasters with the Tokyo metropolitan area, the number of facilities for industrial support services, such as IT companies and call centers, has increased. On the other hand, the expansion of food factories and processing and assembly factories was sluggish, and the total number of newly built or expanded facilities fell below 100 for the first time in five years. Going forward, efforts will be strengthened to attract data centers and satellite offices.

The number of newly built or expanded business facilities in Hokkaido had continued to recover, after bottoming out at 44 in FY 2009 due to the Lehman Shock, and it had exceeded 100 for four consecutive years from FY 2015.

In FY 2019, the number of newly built facilities increased by 16 to 44, but the number of newly expanded facilities was 50, a decrease of 24. The number of Hokkaido based companies that built or expanded facilities in Hokkaido decreased by four to 46, and the number of companies based outside Hokkaido that did likewise decreased by four to 48. Of the total of newly built or expanded facilities, 27 facilities were newly built or expanded due to risk diversification.

By industry, the number of newly built or expanded facilities for industrial support services increased due to the shortage of IT human resources in the Tokyo metropolitan area, risk diversification, and expanded call center demand. There were 24 newly built or expanded business facilities, two more than the previous year, including the opening of a base in Kitami City by Jimoty (Headquarters: Tokyo), which plans and operates goods trading and advertising sites.

More than 30 food factories had been built or expanded annually since FY 2013 for the high-quality food resources of Hokkaido, but in FY 2019, the expansion of agricultural processing factories was sluggish and the number decreased by eight to only 24.

In FY 2019, a number of large processing and assembly factories were built or expanded, but the number of newly built or expanded facilities decreased by eight to 11 due to the sluggish expansion of agricultural processing factories.

In addition to a plant of biomass power generation using wood chips, a logistic facility was also established.

An official of the Industrial Promotion Division expressed a sense of crisis regarding the establishment or expansion of new business facilities in FY 2020 onward, saying “The spread of COVID-19 may cause companies to focus on maintaining their business and weaken their willingness to invest.” In the future, efforts will be strengthened to attract data centers and satellite offices, where the market is expected to grow with the increasing demand for data.

(Excerpt from an article on June 5, 2020)

日本語原文（The following is the original text written in Japanese.)

19年度の道内企業立地件数は94件　工場増設振るわず

　道経済部は、道内での企業立地件数をまとめた。2019年度は前年度を8件下回る94件だった。首都圏との同時被災リスク低減のためＩＴ企業やコールセンターなど産業支援サービス業の立地が増加した。一方、食品工場や加工組立型工場の増設の動きが鈍く5年ぶりに100件を下回った。今後はデータセンターやサテライトオフィスの呼び込みを強化する。

　道内での立地件数は、リーマンショックの影響を受けた09年度の44件を底に回復傾向が続き、15年度からは4年連続で100件を超えていた。

　19年度は新設が16件増の44件と大幅に増加したが、増設が24件減の50件と振るわなかった。道内企業は4件減の46件、道外企業は4件減の48件。全体のうち27件がリスク分散による立地だった。

　業種別で見ると、首都圏でのＩＴ人材不足やリスク分散、コールセンター需要の拡大に伴い産業支援サービス業の立地が増加。物品売買や広告サイトを企画・運営するジモティー（本社・東京）が北見市に拠点を開設するなど前年度から2件増の24件の立地があった。

　食品工場は、本道の良質な食資源に着目した生産地への立地が注目され、13年度以降30件以上の立地があったが、19年度は農産加工品工場の増設が伸び悩み8件減の24件にとどまった。

　加工組立型工場は、大規模な立地が相次いだが、農産加工品に関する工場増設の動きが鈍く、8件減の11件となった。

　木質チップを活用したバイオマス発電の動きも目立ったほか、物流施設の立地も堅調に推移している。

　産業振興課の担当者は、20年度以降の企業立地について「新型コロナウイルス感染症拡大により、企業が事業維持に注力し、投資意欲が弱まる可能性がある」と危機感を示す。今後はデータ需要の増加に伴い市場の拡大が見込まれるデータセンターやサテライトオフィスの誘致を強化する。

(2020年6月5日付から抜粋)