Kansai Science City

Keihanna Science City

関西文化学術研究都市
けいはんな学研都市
Keihanna Science City 関西文化学術研究都市けいはんな学研都市
Planned community
	Kansai Science City
	Keihanna Plaza in Seika
	Coordinates: 34°44′42″N 135°45′54″E / 34.745°N 135.765°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefectures	Kyoto Prefecture; Osaka Prefecture; Nara Prefecture;
Opened	October 1994
Founded by	Azuma Okuda
Area
• Total	154.12 km2 (59.51 sq mi)
Population (April 1, 2021)
• Total	253,729
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (JST)
Website	www.kri.or.jp/en/

Kansai Science City (関西文化学術研究都市, Kansai Bunka-gakujutsu-kenkyū-toshi) is an unincorporated city located in the Keihanna Hills (京阪奈丘陵, Keihanna kyūryō), a border region between Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara Prefectures in Kansai region, Japan. The name is commonly shortened^[a] to Keihanna Science City (けいはんな学研都市, Keihanna Gakken-toshi) or Gakken-toshi (学研都市). The name Keihanna is constructed by extracting a representative kanji from Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara. It is about 25 kilometers (16 mi) south of the city of Kyoto and 30 kilometers (19 mi) east of the city of Osaka. The city was constructed to help the advancement of creative arts, sciences, and research, as well as to spur the creation of new industries and cultures.

Location

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1986	128,278	—
1991	171,805	+33.9%
1996	194,514	+13.2%
2001	212,826	+9.4%
2006	228,425	+7.3%
2011	241,020	+5.5%
2016	248,435	+3.1%
2021	253,729	+2.1%
Source: ^[2]

Kansai Science City is located in portions of the following eight cities (市, shi) and towns (町, chō), in three prefectures:

Osaka Prefecture
- Hirakata (枚方市, Hirakata-shi)
- Katano (交野市, Katano-shi)
- Shijōnawate (四條畷市, Shijōnawate-shi)
Kyoto Prefecture
- Kyōtanabe (京田辺市, Kyōtanabe-shi)
- Kizugawa (木津川市, Kizugawa-shi)
- Sōraku District (相楽郡, Sōraku-gun)
  - Seika (精華町, Seika-chō)
Nara Prefecture
- Nara (奈良市, Nara-shi)
- Ikoma (生駒市, Ikoma-shi)

Out of these, Seika in Kyoto Prefecture is completely inside the Kansai Science City.

The overall area of the Kansai Science City is 154 square kilometers (59 sq mi), with an estimated population of 250,000. There are 12 "Cultural and Academic Research Zones" within the Kansai Science City, encompassing 33 square kilometers (13 sq mi), with an estimated population of 100,000. Seika & Nishikizu is the central district of this city. Fugenji and Kita-Tawara are science districts in land use adjustment.

Areas, populations, and zones as of 1 April 2021^[1]^[2]
Jurisdiction	Osaka Prefecture			Kyoto Prefecture			Nara Prefecture		Total
Jurisdiction	Hirakata	Shijōnawate	Katano	Kyōtanabe	Seika	Kizugawa	Nara	Ikoma	Total
Area	15.10 km²	14.70 km²	15.50 km²	24.42 km²	25.68 km²	23.62 km²	14.60 km²	20.50 km²	154.12 km²
Population	33,244	11,382	14,515	22,126	58,079	37,024	52,403	24,956	253,729
Cultural and Academic Research Zone	Himuro & Tsuda (0.74 km²)				Seika & Nishikizu (5.06 km²)			Takayama (3.33 km²)	(33.29 km²) Population : 100,261
		Kiyotaki & Muroike (3.40 km²)			Heijo & Soraku (6.26 km²)
				Tanabe (1.00 km²)		Kizu (7.37 km²)
				Minamitanabe & Komada (3.44 km²)			Heijo Palace Site (1.42 km²)
		Tawara (1.27 km²)		Fugenji				Kita-Tawara

Aerial photographs^[3]

Himuro & Tsuda
Kiyotaki & Muroike
Tawara
Tanabe
Minamitanabe & Komada
Seika & Nishikizu
Heijo & Soraku
Kizu
Takayama
Heijo Palace Site

Main research institutes and universities

Universities

Shijonawate Campus, Osaka Electro-Communication University
Doshisha University - Kyotanabe Campus, Tatara Campus, and Gakken Toshi Campus
Kyotanabe Campus, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts
Institute of Free electron laser (iFEL), Osaka University^[4]
Nara Institute of Science and Technology
Seika Campus, Kyoto Prefectural University
Experimental Farm, Kyoto University

Research institutes

Universal Communication Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)
Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)^[5]
Technology Research Laboratory, Shimadzu
Keihanna Research Center, Kyocera - optical and electronic devices, solar cells, advanced thin-film technologies
Kansai Photon Science Institute, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST)
Keihanna Site, Panasonic
Keihanna Technology Innovation Center, OMRON
International Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS)^[6]
Nara Research and Development Center, Santen Pharmaceutical
Rohto Research Village Kyoto
Kansai Electronic Industry Development Center - supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry^[7]
Ion Technology Center
Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) - supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry^[8]
Keihanna Campus, Riken
Suntory World Research Center
Nidec Center for Industrial Science
Keihanna Area, NTT Communication Science Laboratories
Nara Research Institute for Cultural Properties

Other

Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library
Heijō Palace
Keihanna Open Innovation Center @Kyoto (KICK)
Keihanna Plaza

Transportation

Gakkentoshi Line, West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Nara Line (JR West)
Kyoto Line, Kintetsu Railway (Kintetsu)
Keihanna Line (Kintetsu)
Shin-Meishin Expressway
Second Keihan Highway
Keinawa Expressway

In 2016, a government committee planning the final Kyoto-Osaka segment of the Hokuriku Shinkansen proposed routing the new high-speed line through Kyōtanabe.^[9]

About 100 minutes by bus from Kansai International Airport.

Notes

^ The Japanese form of the official name, which literally translates to Kansai Culture and Academic Research City, is substantially longer than the official English name.