DX NEXT TOHOKU's 5-Year Journey Inherited, Newly Launched as "EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU"
EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU (ENT) has officially launched on January 1, 2026, inheriting the mission and initiatives of DX NEXT TOHOKU (DNT), which has led DX promotion in Tohoku for five years. ENT will expand its focus to Corporate Transformation (CX) and regional human resource development, aiming to contribute to the sustainable development of the Tohoku region.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 21:10
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 12:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 9, 2026 at 00:07 (11h 35m after Collected)
EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU (Headquarters: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture / Co-Representative Directors: Tomoya Hamano, Tatsuya Ichikawa / hereinafter, ENT) announced that it has launched with a new name and new structure on January 1, 2026, inheriting the philosophy and initiatives of DX NEXT TOHOKU (hereinafter, DNT), which has led DX promotion in Tohoku for five years.
ENT will build upon the DX promotion knowledge and human network cultivated by DNT, expanding its scope to Corporate Transformation (CX)* and regional human resource development, aiming to contribute to the sustainable development of the Tohoku region.
Additionally, a kick-off event to introduce the launch of ENT to the people of Tohoku will be held from 16:00 on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the Enspace 2nd floor main hall in Sendai City.
* CX (Corporate Transformation): A term meaning "corporate transformation" in Japanese. In recent years, it has been increasingly used in the context of strengthening the competitiveness of Japanese companies, with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry publishing a report on the "Study Group on Strengthening Global Competitiveness through CX" in June 2024. ENT aims to implement this concept in the context of transforming companies in the Tohoku region.
■ Developmental Dissolution of DX NEXT TOHOKU after 5 Years and Inheritance of Will by ENT
DNT was established in February 2021 with the mission of "creating a rich and happy society even with a declining population and connecting a better future to the next generation," with the aim of fundamentally promoting DX (Digital Transformation) in Tohoku. At its establishment, it started as a challenge with an initial operating period of five years, and during this time, it has accumulated numerous community-based initiatives with companies, local governments, and experts in the Tohoku region, such as DX consultation services, a DX coordinator system, and various seminars and events.
Then, in January 2026, DNT reached a milestone of developmental dissolution* as planned, completing its five-year operating period. EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU, which we are reporting today, is restarting with a new name and new mission, with a refreshed board of directors, as the recipient that inherits its will and assets.
* The legal entity is maintained, and the name has been changed from "DX NEXT TOHOKU" to "EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU," with the board of directors being refreshed. In respect of the meaning of a developmental reorganization as an organization, the term "developmental dissolution" is used in this release.
■ Comment from the Former Representative
Mr. Yoshio Abe, Former Representative Director
Yoshio Abe, Former Representative Director, DX NEXT TOHOKU
"We launched DNT and have been running for five years. We have various feelings about what we left undone and what we couldn't achieve, but we believe we have done our best to establish DX in Tohoku. The advent of generative AI has further accelerated the pace of change. We sincerely hope that the new ENT will bravely tackle the remaining challenges in Tohoku, transforming youth into strength."
■ What EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU Inherits and Expands
ENT inherits the foundation of DX promotion that DNT has built over five years – trusted relationships with companies, local governments, and experts in Tohoku, DX consultation and diagnostic know-how, and practical knowledge rooted in the region. Building on this, we will expand the scope of our activities to respond to the challenges currently facing Tohoku.
> Tohoku's Challenges Surrounding ENT
Tohoku is currently facing complex structural challenges simultaneously: population decline, difficulty in hiring, and a gap in information and AI utilization compared to metropolitan areas. ENT believes that these cannot be overcome by DX investment by a single company alone; rather, a comprehensive uplift of the entire region can only be achieved when corporate transformation (CX) and the development of human resources to drive that transformation are integrated.
> What ENT Aims For
ENT aims to be a regional transformation platform that integrates DX, CX, companies, and human resources, while inheriting DNT's cherished aspiration to "fundamentally promote DX in Tohoku."
■ ENT's Mission, Vision, Values
▶ MISSION ~New Power to Tohoku.~
EMPOWER = Power / NEW = New / TOHOKU = To Tohoku.
Our name itself is our mission.
▶ VISION ~Tohoku where one person's challenge becomes the first step for someone else~
A chain of challenges creates a ripple that moves the region. Each individual's first step encourages someone else, bringing newness to the entire Tohoku region.
ENT will build upon the DX promotion knowledge and human network cultivated by DNT, expanding its scope to Corporate Transformation (CX)* and regional human resource development, aiming to contribute to the sustainable development of the Tohoku region.
Additionally, a kick-off event to introduce the launch of ENT to the people of Tohoku will be held from 16:00 on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the Enspace 2nd floor main hall in Sendai City.
* CX (Corporate Transformation): A term meaning "corporate transformation" in Japanese. In recent years, it has been increasingly used in the context of strengthening the competitiveness of Japanese companies, with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry publishing a report on the "Study Group on Strengthening Global Competitiveness through CX" in June 2024. ENT aims to implement this concept in the context of transforming companies in the Tohoku region.
■ Developmental Dissolution of DX NEXT TOHOKU after 5 Years and Inheritance of Will by ENT
DNT was established in February 2021 with the mission of "creating a rich and happy society even with a declining population and connecting a better future to the next generation," with the aim of fundamentally promoting DX (Digital Transformation) in Tohoku. At its establishment, it started as a challenge with an initial operating period of five years, and during this time, it has accumulated numerous community-based initiatives with companies, local governments, and experts in the Tohoku region, such as DX consultation services, a DX coordinator system, and various seminars and events.
Then, in January 2026, DNT reached a milestone of developmental dissolution* as planned, completing its five-year operating period. EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU, which we are reporting today, is restarting with a new name and new mission, with a refreshed board of directors, as the recipient that inherits its will and assets.
* The legal entity is maintained, and the name has been changed from "DX NEXT TOHOKU" to "EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU," with the board of directors being refreshed. In respect of the meaning of a developmental reorganization as an organization, the term "developmental dissolution" is used in this release.
■ Comment from the Former Representative
Mr. Yoshio Abe, Former Representative Director
Yoshio Abe, Former Representative Director, DX NEXT TOHOKU
"We launched DNT and have been running for five years. We have various feelings about what we left undone and what we couldn't achieve, but we believe we have done our best to establish DX in Tohoku. The advent of generative AI has further accelerated the pace of change. We sincerely hope that the new ENT will bravely tackle the remaining challenges in Tohoku, transforming youth into strength."
■ What EMPOWER NEW TOHOKU Inherits and Expands
ENT inherits the foundation of DX promotion that DNT has built over five years – trusted relationships with companies, local governments, and experts in Tohoku, DX consultation and diagnostic know-how, and practical knowledge rooted in the region. Building on this, we will expand the scope of our activities to respond to the challenges currently facing Tohoku.
> Tohoku's Challenges Surrounding ENT
Tohoku is currently facing complex structural challenges simultaneously: population decline, difficulty in hiring, and a gap in information and AI utilization compared to metropolitan areas. ENT believes that these cannot be overcome by DX investment by a single company alone; rather, a comprehensive uplift of the entire region can only be achieved when corporate transformation (CX) and the development of human resources to drive that transformation are integrated.
> What ENT Aims For
ENT aims to be a regional transformation platform that integrates DX, CX, companies, and human resources, while inheriting DNT's cherished aspiration to "fundamentally promote DX in Tohoku."
■ ENT's Mission, Vision, Values
▶ MISSION ~New Power to Tohoku.~
EMPOWER = Power / NEW = New / TOHOKU = To Tohoku.
Our name itself is our mission.
▶ VISION ~Tohoku where one person's challenge becomes the first step for someone else~
A chain of challenges creates a ripple that moves the region. Each individual's first step encourages someone else, bringing newness to the entire Tohoku region.