KEY POINTSKubota, Mitsui Fudosan and Kanden Realty sign pact to redevelop Kubota’s former Osaka headquarters siteProject centers on a roughly 12,500-seat arena with hotel and retail facilities in NambaKubota field district and provisional Kubota LaLa arena name target opening in 2032 or later
Kubota, Mitsui Fudosan and Kanden Realty plan a hotel-and-retail complex around the provisional Kubota LaLa arena, with opening targeted for 2032 or later. Photo by Chuang XY on Unsplash
Chuang XY
Kubota, Mitsui Fudosan and Kanden Realty & Development said on August 5 they had signed a basic agreement to redevelop the site of Kubota’s former headquarters in Osaka’s Naniwa Ward, launching plans for a mixed-use project centered on a multi-purpose arena.
The development will be built around an arena with capacity for about 12,500 people, along with a hotel and commercial facilities. The companies are targeting an opening in or after 2032.
The broader district will be named “Kubota field,” while the arena is planned to be called “Kubota LaLa arena” on a provisional basis. Kubota said the naming is intended to carry forward its legacy in Osaka’s Namba area, where it had maintained its headquarters for about 130 years.
Mitsui Fudosan and Kanden Realty will now accelerate detailed studies for the project as developers, aiming to create a new hub for urban activity in the wider Namba area, according to the release.
The planned arena is intended for sports, music and other events. The hotel is meant to serve demand from arena visitors and inbound tourism, while the retail component is designed to bring foot traffic even on days without events.
Kubota began a public selection process for use of the former headquarters site in October 2025, with advice from Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, which acted as lead company for the process. Mitsui Fudosan and Kanden Realty were selected as preferred negotiating partners in May 2026.
Kubota has moved its headquarters to Grand Green Osaka in Osaka’s Kita Ward because of the aging of its former head office building.
Arena-led redevelopment has become a recurring feature of large urban projects in Japan, where developers increasingly combine event venues with hotels, retail space and surrounding district branding to extend visitor traffic beyond event days.
AloJapan.com