We held a kickoff symposium.

On Friday, November 18, we held a kickoff symposium titled “A Fully Circular Bio-Community Hub in the ”Rice-Producing Region’ of Niigata Through Regional Co-creation” at Aore Nagaoka. This symposium was organized as a kickoff event bringing together relevant organizations following the project’s selection for the full-scale Regional Co-creation category of JST’s (Japan Science and Technology Agency) “Support Program for the Formation of Co-creation Spaces (COI-NEXT).”

On the day of the event, we had over 150 participants from both within and outside the prefecture, including those attending in person and online.

In Part 1, President Kamado and Vice President Takami (Deputy Mayor of Nagaoka City) delivered opening remarks, and distinguished guests from JST and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology spoke about their expectations for the project.

In addition, Professor Ogasawara, the project leader, and Specially Appointed Professor Nakamura (Chitose Research Institute), the deputy project leader, presented the center’s vision for the next 10 years and its specific initiatives.

In Part 2, local stakeholders participating in the initiative gave presentations on the challenges they face from their respective perspectives and their expectations for the initiative, followed by a panel discussion. Through this discussion, we were able to reaffirm the importance of collaborative efforts among stakeholders toward achieving the initiative’s goal of “realizing a fully circular bio-community based on local resources.”

By leveraging its abundant resources and technology, this center aims to preserve “Niigata, the Rice Capital,” for future generations and to realize a society centered on “food production” fostered by the countryside, as well as a society where young people can continue to live.

We will move forward with various initiatives while engaging in dialogue with our stakeholders.