#Japan #Digital Strategy #Uful #Taketa City #Taketa

Uful's Strategic Partnership with Taketa City

Uful Inc., headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, has made significant strides in aiding Taketa City in Oita Prefecture with its third comprehensive revitalization strategy. This initiative aims to confront the pressing issue of population decline head-on, ensuring sustainable development and the revitalization of the local economy. The strategy seeks to leverage the city's unique characteristics while integrating innovative solutions.

As projections indicate a drastic reduction in Taketa's population—expected to drop below half of the 2000 figures by 2035, with over 51% of residents aged 65 and older by 2025—the city faces urgent challenges. These include the diminishing workforce impacting the economy, declining birth rates, and an exodus of young people. In response to these challenges, the city has committed to enhancing digital technology adoption and strengthening public-private partnerships.

Uful has played a pivotal role in crafting this strategy. By collaborating closely with city officials, they analyzed current population trends to set achievable future goals. The process involved nine paper discussions and interviews across all 16 administrative divisions, focusing on identifying challenges and developing actionable strategies, including setting KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Feedback from citizens and stakeholders was also integrated into the planning process to ensure that the initiatives resonate with community needs.

Key Strategic Points

The revitalization strategy encompasses several core areas:

1. Strengthening Population Decline Measures

• - Promoting migration and settlement
• - Enhancing regional branding
• - Improving child-rearing and educational environments

2. Digital Technology Integration

• - Advancing smart city initiatives
• - Utilizing digital marketing strategies

3. Leveraging Local Resources

• - Promoting tourism
• - Branding local specialties
• - Revitalizing regional industries

4. Promoting Public-Private Partnerships

• - Fostering collaboration between businesses, universities, and local governments to create new ventures

The third comprehensive revitalization strategy for Taketa City is designed to implement measures from fiscal year 2025 to 2027, utilizing specific indicators for tracking progress and assessing efficacy. Ultimately, the goal is to maintain Taketa's population by 2050 and achieve sustainable growth.

The city's policy head, Hiroyuki Honda, expressed gratitude for Uful’s support, stating how essential the listening sessions were in shaping tangible solutions. He emphasized the transformative potential of utilizing digital technology in city planning to pave the way for a sustainable future.

Uful’s philosophy revolves around creating a sustainable society through technology and innovative thinking. The company has a proven track record of supporting over 40 local governments in their digital transformation (DX) efforts, focusing on data utilization. By integrating the perspectives of residents and frontline workers, Uful provides comprehensive support from overall design to the development, implementation, and operation of optimal solutions.

Taketa City, home to approximately 18,000 residents, is situated in the southwestern part of Oita Prefecture near the Kumamoto border and is surrounded by the Aso Kujū National Park. Its natural beauty and historical sites such as the