Kyushu-Okinawa Summit 2000
Outline of Kyushu-Okinawa Summit Meeting

Since the Meiji Era, industry in Fukuoka developed around steel, chemicals and coal. Today, transportation related equipment, food products and electricity account for a high share of Fukuoka's production. Traditional crafts, continued to this day, include Hakata Weaving, Hakata Dolls, Kurume splashed-pattern Kimono and Chikugo Washi paper.

Fukuoka Prefecture is a major tourist destination, which boasts over 77-million visitors a year. Fukuoka City developed as a castle town, and the Hakata district was the area where commoners thrived; visitors can find relics of this past through the numerous ancient shrines and historical ruins in the area. Recent years have seen the completion of Fukuoka Dome, Japan's first multipurpose, domed stadium with a retractable roof, Fukuoka City Museum as well as new shopping districts. There are also many leisure facilities including a major aquarium called "Marine World Umino-nakamichi," which displays 20-thousand marine organisms of some 350 species, in the vicinity of Fukuoka City. Visitors can also enjoy a virtual outer-space experience at Space World, a theme park about an hour away in Kitakyushu City.