In addition, Japanese firms have continued to work assiduously in research and development of energy-saving and ecofriendly technologies, fields in which they are competitive, believing these fields to have growth potential. Otaru has a history of being a pioneering city, supporting the development of financial and economic activity in Hokkaido Prefecture.
It has great potential, in that it is a city with a large number of tourist attractions and functions as a distribution center for the trade between Northeast Asia and the whole of Hokkaido Prefecture.