Abstract
The purpose of this study is to describe the features and generating mechanism of the regional scale office relocation flows of knowledge intensive business services (KIBS) within the suburbs of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Through quantitative analysis of the relocation flows using panel survey data of KIBS and the subsequent questionnaire for knowledge companies, following conclusions were obtained: 1) Locations of KIBS establishments had been centralized since 1996 but the location share within central Tokyo turned into decrease at 2006, which means relative suburbanization is in progress. 2) Relocation flow patterns between 2007-2012 show mixtures of centralization and suburbanization. Limited numbers of suburban business districts dominate most of the origins and destinations of those relocation flows, and function as important nodes of business relocations within the metropolitan area. 3) Centralization flows were generated by growing businesses when they "Move up" property ladder for seeking better locational conditions, while suburbanization flows were generated by less growing businesses, which were confronted with need of rationalizing, when they "Move down" property ladder for seeking cheaper offices.
