#Japan #Atsugi #GovTech Express #LINE Official Account #Atsugi City

Revamping Communication: Atsugi City's LINE Official Account

Atsugi City, located in Kanagawa Prefecture, has taken a significant step forward in enhancing communication with its residents by fully renovating its LINE official account. This overhaul, effective from April 1, 2026, by Bot Express, a Tokyo-based company, emphasizes the utilization of AI and multilingual capabilities tailored to meet the needs of the city's diverse population.

Overview of Atsugi City

As of March 1, 2026, Atsugi City is home to 222,035 residents, with approximately 38,925 friends added to its LINE official account. Key functionalities include a lecture reservation system, waste separation search feature, garbage collection notifications, personal timelines, and emergency supply checklists. The LINE ID for the account is @atsugi_city.

Revamping Initiatives

The official LINE account was originally established in August 2020. As part of a reevaluation of its communication strategy, the comprehensive redesign was implemented in 2026. The revamped account is now designed with AI and multilinguistic features in mind. This upgrade includes the incorporation of an AI chatbot, a waste photo identification feature, and a fully multilingual-rich menu. These changes enable information dissemination in several languages, including English, Korean, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and Vietnamese.

Additionally, the internal process for distributing information has been streamlined. Management of requests for distribution from city departments has been centralized, allowing for easier scheduling and monitoring through a visual calendar system, thereby enhancing operational efficiency.

Key Features

1. Multilingual Communication

The redesigned official LINE account supports five languages. Users can access information according to their preferred language settings via rich menus and message distributions, which are translated automatically. This feature ensures that no resident is left behind in receiving crucial information pertinent to the city.

2. AI-Driven Inquiry Automation

The introduction of an AI chatbot allows for immediate responses to resident inquiries. By referencing information from the city's homepage, the chatbot can effectively answer questions. Furthermore, the waste identification feature allows residents to send pictures of refuse for classification and disposal instructions—all simplifying processes for users and easing the workload for city employees.

3. Automated Multilingual Disaster Information

A key upgrade includes the automated multilingual distribution of disaster information, in collaboration with the Japan Meteorological Agency. Residents receive alerts regarding earthquakes or weather warnings directly through LINE, while the content is also synchronized with the city's homepage for automatic updates. This configuration ensures that foreign residents also receive vital disaster information in their preferred languages.

4. Accessible Message History

Users can now view the last 30 distributed messages directly through the LINE official account. This functionality provides residents an option to look back at previously shared information that would otherwise be missed in traditional message flows, thereby enhancing accessibility and ensuring that crucial notices are easy to revisit.

5. Reengineering Distribution Processes

Requests for announcements from city departments are now electronically managed through GovTech Express, allowing for a consolidated view of scheduled distributions. This centralization aids in visual management through a calendar system and simplifies the process of scheduling and conducting test distributions with the press of a button. This design minimizes the complexity involved in operations, making it manageable even during busy times.

City Officials' Insights

In comments shared by officials from the Public Relations City Promotion Division, the focus of this revamp is twofold. Firstly, enhancing searchability through AI will make it easier for residents to find the information they need without frustration. Secondly, the implementation of an exhaustive multilingual information delivery system tackles the increase in foreign residents, facilitating a smoother flow of crucial updates and news.

Looking to the Future

New developments are underway as Bot Express ensures continual growth in Atsugi's LINE services. As the city explores new features and enhancements, there is a keen commitment to delivering essential information directly to community members, epitomizing the genuine intent of government to provide useful, timely communication to all residents.

Conclusion

Through this successful revamp of its LINE official account, Atsugi City strives to directly engage with residents and ensure that vital information reaches everyone. By embracing AI technology and multilingual accessibility, officials hope to foster enhanced citizen services and establish a smarter administrative environment. For cities experiencing similar challenges in information distribution, the innovative model set by Atsugi might serve as an exemplar for implementing technology-driven communication solutions.