Abstract
The national and local governments in Japan have worked on projects to promote regional innovation since the 1980s. Although every project for regional innovation has been evaluated so far, little attention has been paid to the investigation from a medium- to long-term perspective. The purpose of this study is to examine whether various projects for regional innovation are suitable for the features of the industrial agglomeration and to understand the implications of the role of universities and colleges of technology on regional innovation. This study is based on the interview survey, statistical analysis, and literature researches on case studies in Ube region (Yamaguchi prefecture) and Kita-Kyushu region (Fukuoka prefecture), which are centered on big companies, and those in Tsubame-Sanjo region (Niigata prefecture) which have an agglomeration of the small-medium-sized companies.
