Japan's Largest Smart City to Debut in Fukuoka in FY2028: Kyushu University Hakozaki Campus Site Area Officially Selected as Urban Development Land Use Operator

A corporate group, represented by Sumitomo Corporation and consisting of 8 companies, has been officially selected as the land use operator for the "Kyushu University Hakozaki Campus Site Area Land Use Operator Recruitment" by Kyushu University and the Urban Renaissance Agency Kyushu Branch, effective Thursday, March 26, 2026.

※ Image perspective of the "Innovation Core" block

Background for Project Commencement

This project aims to realize the "Kyushu University Hakozaki Campus Site Area Grand Design," leveraging Kyushu University's history and vast site to create a hub where diverse people gather and foster innovation. It is also Japan's largest smart city development, blending tradition and innovation based on the philosophy of "FUKUOKA Smart EAST*".

Industry, government, academia, and citizens will work together, each fulfilling their roles, to create and disseminate new industries, realizing future urban development that leads the world as an environmentally advanced city.

※About FUKUOKA Smart EAST

To achieve sustainable development while solving various urban development challenges such as declining birthrate and aging population, we are working on creating a future city that can be proud of, by creating a comfortable, high-quality lifestyle and urban space through the introduction of advanced technologies.

As a pioneering initiative, we will first tackle the urban development of Hakozaki, with the aim of expanding this to the entire city, beyond the city limits, and reaching more people.

Vision for the City

Hakozaki, the planned site, is a place where tradition and pride have been passed down for over 100 years since the opening of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911. This project will leverage its historical background and vast site to aim for a hub where diverse people gather and create innovation.

The concept is "HAKOZAKI Green Innovation Campus".

By incorporating the IOWN concept*, which is innovative technology development that drives game-changing advancements for the nation to compete globally, we will build an environment capable of updating smart services and creating new services that always incorporate new values and technologies. By integrating and linking various smart services, we aim to achieve the realization of a future smart city model through more appropriate service provision.

The six core policies for urban development (Kyushu University's 100-year history...