A two-day business seminar seeking for a new economic development model from Japan's Kansai Region opened on Thursday in the western Japanese city of Kyoto, attracting nearly 600 business leaders, local press reported. The Kansai Economic Seminar, organized by the Kansai Economic Federation jointly with the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, has been held since Thursday morning at Kyoto International Conference Center in the city center, and the theme of the Kyoto conference is "Reforming with New Power, from Kansai Now, " according to the daily Mainichi Shimbun. In line with the slogan, the seminar will set up a series of subcommittee meetings focusing on issues such as craftsmanship, women in management roles, and tourism. There, the managers and owners of companies and makers which are based in Kansai Area including also Osaka City and Kobe City are expected to speak about some of their prominent examples and raise discussions on their latest projects to boost the country's economy from the western Japanese industrial zone, the report said. The 52nd edition of the annual meeting will continue until Friday afternoon.