OSAKA (Kyodo) -- One of Japan's largest cold storage warehouses has been built in Kobe, a major international port and key distribution hub in the west, amid growing demand for frozen food, a logistics business operator said Monday.

GLP Japan Inc. unveiled a five-story facility with about 46,000 square meters of floor space, built with a 15 billion yen ($101 million) investment, as rising construction costs make it increasingly difficult for companies to build their own storage sites.

The warehouse, with temperatures ranging from minus 25 C to 10 C, is already fully occupied by three tenants, including a transport firm, according to GLP Japan.

Yoshiyuki Chosa, president of GLP Japan, said the company plans to invest an additional 200 billion yen over the next three to five years to further develop the facility, as establishing such warehouses near consumers has become increasingly important.