[NTT West Japan] Sakai City / NTT West Japan / Graduate School of Business Design conclude a collaboration agreement. The “Mikuniminato Co-Creation Project Research” will be launched to develop local human resources and create new businesses centered on tourism.
NTT West Press release: July 4, 2025 To members of the media Sakai City / NTT West Japan / Graduate School of Business Design conclude a partnership agreement to launch the “Mikuniminato Co-Creation Project Research” to develop local human resources and create new businesses centered on tourism. Sakai City (Mayor: Yoshitaka Ikeda), NTT West Japan Corporation (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, President and CEO: Ryota Kitamura), Japan Advanced Educational Corporation Business Planning Graduate University (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) On July 4, 2025, the three parties, including the University of Tsukuba, the University of Tsukuba, and the University of Tsukuba (President: Risa Tanaka), signed a comprehensive
partnership agreement for the purpose of regional revitalization in Sakai City. Based on this agreement, the “Mikuniminato Co-Creation Project Research” will be launched, with the aim of developing human resources who will lead the future of regional tourism and creating new businesses, with the historical resource of Sakai City,
“Mikuniminato,” as its field.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/32702/518/32702-518-44f9fe383e5d7e374eb9e9962197f413-3900×2600.jpg “Co-creation urban development” starting from Mikuniminato
Industry-Government-Academic Project to Cultivate Regional Tourism Planning Human Resources Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, is an attractive town with rich nature facing the Sea of Japan and a strong scent of history and culture. Mikuniminato in particular is a port town that flourished through Kitamae-bune trade during the Edo period, and attracts many people with its retro townscape, cultural events, and serene waterfront scenery that evoke the prosperity of the past. However, like other regional cities across the country, Sakai City is also facing a declining birthrate and aging population, and securing the talent to lead the region and creating new businesses are major issues. In response to these issues, Sakai City has launched the “Mikuniminato Co-Creation Project Research” in collaboration with “Actibase Fukui,” a regional urban development company of the NTT West Japan Group that is working on tourism-based urban development through co-creation with the region, and the Graduate School of Business Design, a graduate school for working adults that develops creative talent. We are looking for participants (project researchers) for the start of the project in August 2025.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/32702/518/32702-518-f39bc99a6eb40cd84a0fca07354df133-284×413.png Overview of the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement for Promoting Regional Revitalization Sakai City, NTT West Japan Corporation, and the Graduate School of Project Design, Advanced Educational
Institution, are working together to form a comprehensive partnership agreement. The aim is to contribute to the development of Sakai City by cooperating with each other. (1) Matters related to tourism promotion (2) Matters related to regional economic revitalization (3) Matters related to regional development (4) Matters related to human resource development related to items 1 to 3 (5) Other matters related to regional revitalization (Partial excerpt) Utilizing corporate hometown tax donations as a regional revitalization project NTT West Japan Corporation has made a corporate hometown tax donation (regional revitalization support tax system) to Sakai City. The funds will be used for Sakai City’s regional revitalization projects, mainly the “Mikuniminato Co-Creation Project Research” implemented based on this partnership agreement. *Corporate hometown tax (regional
revitalization support tax system) is a system that utilizes donations from private companies for regional revitalization projects run by local governments. Comments from everyone
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/32702/518/32702-518-a674d31b2a95c0b897c4e6ca4e5efd65-276×296.jpg Mayor of Sakai Yoshitaka Ikeda In order to realize its vision for the future, Sakai City has formulated the Second Comprehensive Plan Late Basic Plan, adding a new perspective of “city development that allows people to feel happy,” and is promoting city development where citizens can feel happy and want to continue living. In Mikuniminato, where industry, government, and academia have worked together to develop the city, we are working to further develop it, improve its appeal, and solve local issues, and the comprehensive partnership agreement with a private business operator is one example of this. In the course of repeated discussions with the Graduate School of Project Design, an educational corporation of the Advanced Educational Organization, we discovered that “the issues facing the region are a treasure trove of business opportunities if you change your
perspective, but on the other hand, there are still very few people who can solve these issues and turn them into business.” In response to this issue, we are now looking for people who can acquire and put into practice the business skills to solve regional issues,
transcending the boundaries between industry, government, and academia. We look forward to receiving applications from people who are enthusiastic to create a sustainable, symbiotic society with us.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/32702/518/32702-518-11a359586da3e35871dd33fcaeefaa6f-289×316.jpg NTT West Japan Corporation Fukui Branch Manager Kita Oya研究 NTT West Group is working to bring smiles to the local community by utilizing ICT to solve various issues surrounding the local community, working together with local customers and partners to create solutions. Among these, we feel that there is a lot of potential in Mikuni Minato, a town that developed as a major port of call for Kitamae ships, with its deep history and beautiful nature. We want to create a region where travelers and locals can share the wonderfulness and feelings of Mikuniminato, along with the distinctive culture and local
hospitality, and where the quality of hospitality improves, which leads to tourist satisfaction. To that end, we would like to work together with everyone to further spread the deep history and culture of Mikuniminato, provide visitors with a special experience, and make this a co-creation project that progresses and grows together with the region. As a base open to many applicants who aspire to solve social issues, we hope to solve problems that cannot be achieved by a single company and create an atmosphere and vitality that will generate innovation in the surrounding town. We hope that people who visit Minato through this Mikuni Minato Co-Creation Project will love Mikuni as if it were their hometown and will want to return.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/32702/518/32702-518-11a25d891d2a91ffd8d32e24fee96bb0-249×268.jpg “Mikuni Minato Co-Creation Project Research” Instructor: Professor, Business Planning Graduate University, Masami Kawamura As a graduate school for working professionals specializing in new business development, since its opening in 2012, our school has produced many business planners, and among them, we practice co-creation with various people all over the country to envision the future of the region. We are honored and humbled to be in charge of a project to envision the future of regional tourism, mainly in Mikuniminato, a town blessed with a wonderful history, culture, and beautiful nature, through industry-government-academia co-creation with Sakai City and NTT West Japan Corporation. In order to ensure that this project contributes to the future of the region, we will utilize our university’s research resources and network to develop human resources who will lead the future of local tourism and create businesses that will generate new value together with the local community. About the “Mikuminato Co-Creation Project Research” The “Mikuminato Co-Creation Project Research” is a research group for people who are motivated to take on the challenge of town development. With the aim of solving problems and revitalizing the area of Sakai City (mainly the Mikuniminato area), we will build new business concepts centered on the tourism sector from ideas. Participants (project researchers) selected through a public call for applications will participate in the study group and utilize the systematized education and research programs of the Graduate School of Business Design. While honing their imagination and awareness, they will share knowledge with companies in different industries and local partners, and realize co-creation through collaboration. Application Summary ▷Period: August 2025 – March 2026, 20 sessions in total, each lasting approximately 4 hours ▷Main Venue: Sakai City Hall, Online ▷Number of positions available: 12 *Selection will be based on the documents you submit.
▷Participants: ■Those who have a strong desire to improve the Mikuniminato area ■Those who want to think of new ideas to promote tourism in the Mikuniminato area ■Those who want to work on creating businesses that bring out the charm of the region ■Those who want to work on business ideas that contribute to solving regional issues ※Industry and company size do not matter. Sole proprietors are also welcome. *Those who can attend more than 90% of the dates throughout the project period can participate. ▷Participation fee: Free *Transportation expenses, accommodation expenses, etc. are to be paid by the individual. ▷Faculty in charge: Masami Kawamura, Professor, Business Planning Graduate University ▷Sponsor: Sakai City
Co-sponsored by: Advanced Educational Corporation, Graduate School of Business Concepts, Business Concepts Research Institute Cooperation: NTT West Japan Corporation *This project research will be run using the corporate version of hometown tax donations donated to Sakai City by NTT West Japan Corporation. We will hold an information session for the “Mikuni Minato Co-Creation Project Research”. If you are interested, please participate in the information session.
Applications are accepted on our university’s website. [Information session date and time] July 18 (Friday) 18:00-19:00 Venue: Sakai Regional Exchange Center Inesu July 23 (Wednesday) 12:00-13:00 Venue: Online July 24 (Thursday) 18:00-19:00 Venue: Online
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/32702/518/32702-518-c2a6b13106b8e0e6484c08b1764fc387-204×200.png “Mikuni Minato Co-Creation Project Research” WEB page
https://www.mpd.ac.jp/events/mikuniminatoPJ ■About Sakai City Sakai City is a city where the Takeda River and Kuzuryu River, which originate from Mt. Takekurabe, flow into the Sea of Japan. The Sakai Plain, blessed by the rivers, is rich in food, including rice cultivation such as Koshihikari, Wakasa beef, Echizen crab, Echizen soba, and fried tofu. Sakai City, with its abundant natural scenery, has many tourist attractions such as the scenic Tojinbo, Maruoka Castle, one of the 12 remaining castle towers, and the history and culture of Mikuni Minato, which flourished as a port of call for Kitamae ships. It is a unique city with abundant regional resources. ■About NTT West Corporation NTT West Group is working to bring smiles to the local community by using ICT to solve various issues
surrounding the local area as part of its efforts to revitalize the local area, and by working with local customers and partners to co-create and solve these issues. Sakai City established Actibase Fukui Co., Ltd., based in the Mikuniminato area, in 2022 together with companies with expertise in the construction and operation of facilities that reflect the history and culture of the region and in developing townscapes, as well as companies with relationships with many businesses in the Fukui Prefecture region, and has been working to revitalize the region through tourism. This time, we will make a donation to Sakai City using the corporate version of hometown tax (a tax system to support regional revitalization), and the city will launch this project, contributing to the promotion of tourism and revitalization of the region in the city. ■About the Graduate School of Business Design Opened in April 2012 in Minamiaoyama, Tokyo, this graduate school is aimed at working adults who want to develop and implement business concepts and concept plans. It offers a diverse curriculum that aims to help students come up with ideas from the very foundations of their business, think of the ideal concept for their business, spin ideas to realize it, and develop concept plans. After extensive discussions with faculty and graduate students active in a variety of industries and submitting a business concept plan over a two-year period, students are awarded the professional degree of “Master of Project Design” (MPD). Now in its 14th term since its founding, a total of 829 students have graduated from the program at five campuses in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sendai, creating many innovative new businesses. In addition, the university’s affiliated research institute, the Business Design Research Institute, actively conducts project-based research for companies and businesses, and has already seen over 3,000 students graduate from the course. It also publishes research books, including the monthly “Business Design” magazine. For further details, please visit the graduate school website (https://www.mpd.ac.jp/). More information about this release *This email has been sent automatically, so please do not reply.
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