FUKUOKA -- For years it's been said that Kyushu's economic nerve center, Fukuoka, is one of Japan's most promising areas when it comes to forging new business and cultural links overseas. The city's proximity to the East Asian continent, as well as government and business activity, have all contributed to an increase in trade, tourism and educational exchanges with Asian countries.

Fukuoka placed itself on the world map about 10 years ago, after hosting several large international events. The city's government had already begun to view links with growth areas in Asia, in particular China, Taiwan and Korea, as essential in making Fukuoka and Kyushu more economically self-reliant.

By 1998, 46.4 percent of Kyushu's gross trade was with East Asia, and 73.6 percent of Kyushu's overseas business investments were within this region. Seventy-five percent of visitors here were from other Asian countries, and of Fukuoka's 2,597 foreign students 91.1 percent are from the Asian region. Although only slightly higher than the national average of 89.5 percent, student numbers are growing at a faster rate than the national average -- 10.4 percent in 1999, compared with 8.7 percent nationally.