Hulic Co., Ltd. and JFE Steel Corporation Break Ground on R&D Lab in Kawasaki’s Minami-Watarida Area
Hulic Co., Ltd. and JFE Steel Corporation Break Ground on R&D Lab in Kawasaki’s Minami-Watarida Area
Hulic Co., Ltd. and JFE Steel Corporation broke ground on March 11, 2026, for the new “(tentative name) Minami-Watarida Kita District North-Side Development Research Building A.” The project is part of a land use conversion initiative following the shutdown of the blast furnace at JFE Steel Corporation’s East Japan Works Keihin District. The two companies are jointly developing the “Minami-Watarida Kita District North Side” area, with a development site of 5.6 hectares, as business partners and are targeting the area’s opening in fiscal 2027.
The site is located in Minami-Watarida-cho, Kawasaki Ward, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, a three-minute walk from Hamakawasaki Station on the JR Nambu Line and Tsurumi Line. The building will have eight above-ground floors and a gross floor area of approximately 3,933 tsubo (approx. 140,062 sq. ft.), with completion scheduled for January 2028. Under the development scheme, JFE Steel Corporation is handling demolition of existing structures and road improvements, while both companies are jointly advancing the project. In line with the district’s opening, a direct BRT service from JR Kawasaki Station is also scheduled to launch.
The property will house the Steel Research Laboratory, JFE Steel Corporation’s research and development division, and will strengthen R&D functions focused on GX and DX initiatives. The company will undertake research that links data from manufacturing sites with simulation technology and AI to digitally reproduce manufacturing processes. The building will also feature a co-creation space designed to foster interaction with customers, academia and nearby companies, with the aim of creating an open R&D hub that accelerates progress from research and development to real-world implementation. For construction, all approximately 1,120 tons of primary steel framing will use JFE Steel Corporation’s GX steel product “JGreeX,” and the project will also adopt “Archi-Tetsu,” a hybrid timber-and-steel structural system.
The City of Kawasaki positions the area as a scale-up hub for the social implementation of climate tech. Prior to this project, construction began in December 2025 on “Research Building B,” which will have a gross floor area of approximately 18,750 tsubo (approx. 667,356 sq. ft.). Together, the two buildings are expected to form one of Japan’s largest next-generation research parks, with total gross floor area exceeding approximately 30,250 tsubo (approx. 1,076,424 sq. ft.).(see related article: Hulic Breaks Ground on Large-Scale Research Facility in Kawasaki’s Minamiwatarida District)
Key Facts
Property Name: (tentative name) Minami-Watarida Kita District North-Side Development Research Building A
Developer: Hulic Co., Ltd.; JFE Steel Corporation
Location: 13-1 Minami-Watarida-cho and others (lot numbers), Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture
Nearest Station: 3-minute walk from Hamakawasaki Station on the JR Nambu Line and Tsurumi Line
Construction Start: March 11, 2026
Completion: January 2028
Number of Floors: 8F
Area: Site area approximately 908 tsubo (approx. 32,312 sq. ft.); Gross Floor Area approximately 3,933 tsubo (approx. 140,062 sq. ft.)