#Japan #srest #Chigasaki #AWS Cost #Chigasaki City

Chigasaki City Initiates a Pioneering Pilot Program for AWS Cost Management

Chigasaki City has taken a notable leap forward by becoming the first city in Japan to initiate a pilot program for collaborative use of AWS cost management tools, beginning September 11, 2025. This program introduces 'srest', developed by Metaps Holdings, which is aimed at improving cost visibility and streamlining reviews associated with AWS expenditures within a government cloud environment. The initiative is particularly significant as it adopts a collaborative usage model, which has already been implemented across numerous municipalities in the country.

Background of the Pilot Program

By March 2026, local governments have been tasked with transitioning their core operational systems to standardized frameworks within the government cloud. This transition is expected to provide increased flexibility in the management of municipal systems while achieving standardization across the board. However, with the implementation of these changes, there will be a heightened need to manage cloud operational costs effectively within constrained fiscal resources. Thus, optimizing AWS costs has become an essential focus for municipal administrations.

Chigasaki City has opted for a collaborative usage model for its government cloud services. This model allows multiple municipalities to share a single system, where the AWS accounts are managed by an operating assistance vendor. Consequently, municipalities face constraints in accessing detailed breakdowns of usage fees. This limitation translates to prolonged time spent on invoice verification and usage monitoring, particularly in a multi-vendor setup like Chigasaki City's. As a result, obtaining necessary information from providers for invoice reviews becomes a cumbersome process, increasing communication costs and workload. Much of the manpower that should be directed toward cost optimization is tied up in monthly review activities.

To address these challenges, Chigasaki City will leverage the 'srest' tool, which aims to enhance cost visibility and improve the efficiency of the invoice verification process, ultimately paving the way for future cost optimization initiatives.

Details of the Pilot Experiment

The current pilot program will utilize 'srest' to allow direct access to usage details and itemized information that previously required requests to operating assistance vendors. This direct access is expected to significantly reduce the time and effort involved in collecting data related to invoice verification. In addition, the efficiency gains will allow municipality staff to reallocate time towards discussions and planning for effective cost optimization strategies.

Insights from Chigasaki City

Yuki Matsuno, a deputy chief at the Digital Promotion Division of Chigasaki City, commented on the importance of this initiative: “In Chigasaki City, we are currently working to leverage the government cloud for our standardized operational systems and DXSaaS. Our collaboration model means that we have delegated the management of the government cloud to service providers, which creates a challenge in directly verifying the costs associated with its usage.”

He further stated, “We have been exploring ways to visualize the payment and verification process for government cloud service fees. The proposal for the 'srest' pilot experiment came at an opportune moment, and we are moving forward with efforts to resolve this issue.”

Matsuno expressed hopes that the visibility achieved through this experiment would foster cooperation between vendors and the municipality, leading to improved operational efficiency and reduced costs. The goal is to enable discussions on cost optimization of the government cloud fees based on the time saved from enhanced efficiency.

About 'srest'

The 'srest' tool is designed to consolidate cost data from multiple AWS accounts, supporting ongoing cost optimization from a FinOps perspective. With its intuitive dashboard, it offers detailed cost analysis by departments and systems, enhancing overall transparency and decision-making accuracy concerning cloud expenditures. 'srest' has successfully passed the AWS Foundational Technical Review, gaining certification as AWS-approved software.

Company Overview

Metaps Holdings, located in Shibuya, Tokyo, focuses on developing niche software solutions to support digital transformation (DX) for businesses, particularly in back-office and development fields. The company's vision is to reshape the roles of money and the economy through technology. Since its establishment in January 2023, Metaps Holdings has been committed to delivering specialized software solutions.

For further inquiries:
Press Contact: [email protected]
Service Contact: [email protected]

Website: srest.io
Corporate Site: metaps.com