日本宮城縣政府將關閉大連事務所

日本宮城縣政府決定今年底關閉位於中國遼寧省大連市的事務所，並於2027年3月正式撤銷1。該事務所由宮城縣與岩手縣共同於2005年4月設立1。

關閉決定的主要原因是事務所業務減少及運營成本上升1。遼寧省現有16家日本企業進駐，自2017年以來沒有新的日企進駐1。此外，人力租賃成本上升及日圓貶值等因素加劇了運營壓力1。2011年福島第一核電廠事故後，中國曾暫停進口包括宮城縣在內10個都縣的食品及飼料1。

日本其他地方政府也相繼調整在華機構。德島縣今年3月關閉上海事務所，神戶市及岐阿縣分別於2024年3月及2022年8月關閉了在中國的事務所1。相比之下，岩手縣決定維持大連事務所運作1。

Miyagi Prefecture's government has decided to shut down its Dalian office located in Liaoning Province, China, by the end of this year, with formal closure scheduled for March 2027 1. The decision stems primarily from declining business activity and rising operational costs, including reduced Japanese company presence, increased personnel leasing expenses, and yen depreciation 1. Officials emphasized the closure is unrelated to recent deterioration in Japan-China relations 1.

The office was jointly established with Iwate Prefecture in April 2005 1. Its operations have faced headwinds since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, after which China halted imports of food and feed products from ten prefectures including Miyagi 1. Currently, only sixteen Japanese companies operate in Liaoning Province, with no new entries since 2017 1.

The move reflects a broader pattern among Japanese regional governments reassessing their China operations. Tokushima Prefecture closed its Shanghai office in March this year, while Kobe City and Gifu Prefecture shuttered their China offices in March 2024 and August 2022 respectively 1. In contrast, Iwate Prefecture has opted to maintain its Dalian office operations 1.