KOBE, Japan -- When the city of Kobe was devastated by an earthquake in 1995, few imagined a thriving biomedical industry emerging from the rubble.
But the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, which marks its 20th anniversary on Friday, has grown to attract 350 institutions and companies, ranging from promising startups to multinational health care companies, including Germany's Bayer. After $4 billion in public investments, it is now the largest biotech center in Japan, employing 9,400 people.
