#Japan #Tokyo #PicTrée #HI-NEXU #XU Jun LABO

PicTrée Disaster Prevention Championship 2026: A Collaborative Initiative for Enhanced Community Preparedness

Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA), in association with Growth Ring Grid Pte. Ltd. (GRG) and HI-NEXU, has unveiled an innovative community engagement project titled the PicTrée Disaster Prevention Championship 2026. This initiative aims to raise awareness and improve disaster preparedness through an interactive game format. The details were announced during the XU Conference 2026, led by Tamura Jun, where the project was outlined as a key component of the XU Jun LABO tech community, focusing on enhancing local resilience against disasters.

Background: Promoting Engaged Disaster Readiness

In Japan, the importance of pre-disaster preparations cannot be overstated. Many communities struggle with inadequately utilizing disaster response facilities, primarily due to a lack of public awareness of their locations and functions. Government officials emphasize the necessity of implementing disaster prevention measures before disasters strike rather than responding reactively.

DEA, driven by the urgency to engage residents in meaningful disaster readiness, has taken the initiative to launch a platform where citizens can easily participate while having fun. By incorporating gamified elements, residents can document and share images of local disaster facilities through PicTrée, thus fostering a culture of proactive readiness.

The Role of XU Jun LABO

XU Jun LABO is a community initiated within the XU Conference 2026 by Tamura Jun, intended to gather insights from businesses, students, local governments, and urban thinkers to accelerate the implementation of disaster response technology. The PicTrée Disaster Prevention Championship is one of the progressive projects championed by this community. Through partnerships with corporations, local governments, and universities, DEA is committed to amplifying this initiative’s impact nationwide.

Collaboration with HI-NEXU

HI-NEXU is a company focused on creating new value across industries and generations through collaboration. By leveraging its XU community, which includes diverse partners ranging from educational institutions to social innovators, HI-NEXU aims to co-create disaster mitigation strategies and promote community engagement.

In this project, HI-NEXU will play a crucial role in:

• - Nationwide Expansion: Collaborating with partners within the XU community to broaden the operational areas.
• - Engagement with the Next Generation: Involving students in the development of disaster awareness campaigns.
• - Increasing Awareness and Implementation: Utilizing XU's media outreach to boost recognition and facilitate collaboration among startups and local governments.

Overview of the PicTrée Disaster Prevention Championship 2026

The project enables participants to use their smartphones to discover, photograph, and geotag disaster-related infrastructure in their communities. Actions like traversing emergency evacuation routes will be scored, allowing local governments to visualize outcomes based on community participation.

• - Implementation Timeline: Scheduled to begin in July 2026.
• - Area of Operation: Nationwide across Japan.
• - Target Facilities: Includes evacuation shelters, tsunami evacuation facilities, disaster warehouses, and other essential resources.

Future Plans

In 2026, DEA, in collaboration with HI-NEXU, will further develop partnerships across various localities to establish robust operations. Engaging students from the Jun LABO community will refine organizational strategies and develop content to promote disaster awareness.

The goal is to evolve the championship into a nationwide event, with aspirations of further expanding it into an annual pre-disaster awareness initiative. This collective movement will help visualize community preparedness before disasters occur, prompting every citizen to engage in and contribute to their safety proactively.

Stakeholder Comments

Tamura Jun (Producer of XU and Head of XU Jun LABO):
“Disaster preparedness is about action rather than research. Launching the PicTrée Disaster Championship is about encouraging tangible steps towards safety while enjoying the process. Anyone can join by simply walking and photographing disaster facilities.”

Kazuki Kito (Co-CEO of Growth Ring Grid Pte. Ltd.):
“The challenge of pre-disaster readiness is maintaining ongoing awareness among residents. PicTrée serves as an engaging method that will facilitate real-time digital updates on disaster infrastructures, ultimately leading to a stronger, community-driven safety network.”

Go Imai (CEO of HI-NEXU):
“By combining the participatory nature of PicTrée with the diverse networks of XU, we envision a transformative pre-disaster movement that involves everyone. We invite numerous stakeholders to be part of this initiative.”

Kozo Yamada (President of Digital Entertainment Asset):
“We are thrilled to partner with Jun LABO on this innovative project. By creating a national dialogue around preparedness and mobilizing our community, we aim for transformative impacts on the cultural approach to disaster readiness in Japan.”

About PicTrée

PicTrée is a free game leveraging smartphone technology, encouraging players to capture images of urban infrastructures. By gamifying engagement with public amenities, it has gained significant support from municipal stakeholders and infrastructure providers.

Official Website: PicTrée
Follow us on Twitter: @pictree_dea

Company Profiles

Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA)

Founded in August 2018, DEA provides gamified platforms aiming at solving social issues through citizen engagement. The Japan branch commenced operations in January 2026.
Website: DEA

HI-NEXU

HI-NEXU is set to foster new collaborations across industries, generations, and regions, focusing on collective approaches to strengthen communities and tackle social needs.
Website: HI-NEXU