Planned Kyoto Arena balm for disaster-struck

Article posted by Coliseum, March 31^st, 2025

Image: Itochu Corporation

The ITOCHU Corporation, together with the other consortium members, recently signed a business agreement with the Kyoto Prefecture (Japan) for the construction of ‘Kyoto Arena (tentative name) Construction and Operation Project’.

‘ITOCHU’ stated that in recent years the public facilities have gone into a state of disrepair and the disaster problems have become a major cause of headache in Japan and construction of facilities is the need of the hour in the country. However, several local Governments are facing fiscal dire straits and are not in a position to start constructing facilities pronto.

The planned Kyoto Arena is a 10,000-capacity arena in Kyoto Prefecture (Japan) designed to host both national and international sports and cultural events including serving as the home arena for the B.League basketball team Kyoto Hannaryz. It will also function as an evacuation center in case of disaster.

The ITOCHU Corporation is a Japanese corporation based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo (Japan). It is one of the largest Japanese ‘sogo shosha’ (general trading and investment companies) distinguished by the strength of its textile business and its successful business operations in China. ITOCHU was ranked 72nd on the 2020 list of Fortune Global 500 companies with an annual trading revenue of US$100 billion.

Tokyo (Japan)-based the B.League is a men’s professional basketball league in Japan. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League (the top-tier professional basketball league in Japan).

The Kyoto Hannaryz is a Japanese basketball team playing in Kyoto Prefecture (Japan) and they are part of the Western Conference of the B.League.

The 6,500-capacity Kataoka Arena Kyoto is an arena in Kyoto, Japan. It is the home arena of the Kyoto Hannaryz of the B.League, Japan’s professional basketball league.

‘ITOCHU’ further stated that given the above situation there has been an increase in cases in recent years in which the local Governments promote the construction of the facilities by utilizing private funds and knowhow in the form of the public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Based on the concept of “protecting the community with public facilities” ITOCHU has been working to develop public facilities that function as evacuation shelters in the event of a disaster and also best serve the interests of the communities.

Based on the above concept they have undertaken the Shibata Town General Gymnasium Development Project in the Miyagi Prefecture (Japan) (2022) and the Kuwana City General Athletic Park Pool Development and Operation Project in the Mie Prefecture (Japan) (2024).

The above mentioned Kyoto Arena Development and Operation Project is the third public-private partnership project to develop indoor sports facilities that meet the standards for hosting international and national competitions in Kyoto Prefecture. The project is based on the Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) method.

The DBFO method is a new method in which the private business partners are responsible for everything starting from planning, designing and constructing the facility to maintenance, operation and fundraising. It is an initiative that proposes facility development with an eye toward future operation and maintenance. The project will be overseen by the consortium members who boast wealth of experience in various fields.

The arena will serve as the home arena of the Kyoto Hannaryz B.League baseball team and will also be a facility that can accommodate both sporting and cultural events. A bicycle racing track will be come up adjacent to the arena and will ensure that the arena footprint is abuzz with activities the whole year round.

The Kyoto Arena will also serve as a shelter when natural calamities strike. In order to serve the local communities in the best possible manner ITOCHU will work with the local companies.

ITOCHU is working to strengthen its value chain in the construction and real estate fields and wants to position the public facility development business as part of this endeavor.

ITOCHU future plans include promoting the public facility development projects with a market-in approach with the aim of regional revitalization and adding teeth to disaster preparedness.

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