Suiden Terrace's Daisuke Yamanaka and Staple's Yudai Oka to Speak at "Baton no Yokoku Conference 2026" Regional Issues Grand Exhibition - Focus and Hints for Local Challenges - September 16 (Wed) - 17 (Thu), Shinagawa.

SMILES Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Wataru Nozaki) and KOKUYO Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Osaka City; President: Hidenori Kuroda) will co-host the "Baton no Yokoku Conference 2026" (*1), which connects regional challenges to future value, for two days on September 16 (Wed) and 17 (Thu), 2026, at KOKUYO Co., Ltd.'s Tokyo Shinagawa Office "THE CAMPUS". This year's conference will be held over two days, with the popular annual exhibition "Focus and Hints Exhibition on Regional Issues" opening on the first day, September 16 (Wed).

On September 17 (Thu), in addition to the exhibition, a workshop "Kaidiet" to learn the Baton no Yokoku problem-setting process and talk sessions will be held.

This year's talk sessions will feature a dialogue between Daisuke Yamanaka, Representative Director of SHONAI Co., Ltd., which operates "Suiden Terrace" and other facilities in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, and Hidenori Kuroda, Representative Executive Officer and President of KOKUYO Co., Ltd. Also confirmed to speak are Kazutaka Mori, a key figure in the town development of Higashisonogi, Nagasaki, and Yudai Oka of Staple Co., Ltd. How are regional issues perceived and what approaches are being taken? Sessions will delve into initiatives across a wide range of keywords centered on regions, from tourism and education to migration, community, and value creation.

(Other sessions are currently being coordinated and will be announced in a release in early August.)

◎Apply for "Baton no Yokoku Conference 2026" here: https://bnyconference2026.peatix.com/

See, Hear, Think, and Interact. A Conference with "Problem Setting" and "Creative Perspective" as Keywords.

This conference is a learning space for local government officials, private businesses, students, and experts to gather, collect information, share activities, and exchange opinions. Following last year, under the title "Grand Exhibition of Regional Issues - Focus and Hints for Local Challenges," we will focus on "problem setting (focus)" and "creative perspectives for approaching solutions (hints)" regarding regional issues, introducing numerous advanced cases undertaken by local governments, companies, organizations, and students through talk sessions and exhibitions. The workshop "Kaidiet," which was experimentally held at last year's conference, will be held this year in an upgraded version themed around actual regional issues. Enjoy a day packed with the focus and hints for regional issues, by viewing the exhibition, listening to talk sessions, thinking in the workshop, and interacting at the Grand Business Card Exchange.

Conference Site: https://conference.pass-the-baton.com/

*Details for this year will be updated around early August.

(*1) Baton no Yokoku (https://yokoku.pass-the-baton.com/) is a unit launched by an alliance between PASS THE BATON and KOKUYO, aiming for the creative resolution of regional issues.

<Recommended for>

・Those facing challenges with regional issues

・Those who want to confront regional issues and practice approaches for their resolution together

・Those who want to undertake projects related to their region

【Baton no Yokoku Conference 2026 Event Overview】

Event Name: "Baton no Yokoku Conference 2026" Grand Exhibition of Regional Issues - Focus and Hints for Local Challenges

Date & Time: September 16 (Wed), 2026 [Exhibition Only] 10:00 - 17:00 (Doors Open / Registration Starts 10:00 / Re-entry allowed)

September 17 (Thu), 2026 [Exhibition & Lectures] 9:45 - 19:00 (Doors Open / Registration Starts 9:30 / Re-entry allowed)

Venue: KOKUYO Co., Ltd. Tokyo Shinagawa Office "THE CAMPUS"

Participation Fee: September 16 (Wed) [Exhibition Only] is Free

September 17 (Thu) [Exhibition & Lectures] General ¥3,000 *Early Bird (until Aug 16 (Sun)) ¥1,500

Students ¥300

Local Government Officials, Public Corporation Staff, Chamber of Commerce Staff: Free Admission

*Those who purchase a ticket for the 17th can also view the exhibition on the 16th.

Registration: https://bnyconference2026.peatix.com/

Organizer: Baton no Yokoku (SMILES Co., Ltd. / KOKUYO Co., Ltd.)

*Release of detailed information and start of applications for the workshop "Kaidiet" are scheduled for early August.

Highlights of Baton no Yokoku Conference 2026

This Year's Talk Session Speakers Announced One After Another!

Scenes from last year's talk sessions

This year's talk sessions will feature Daisuke Yamanaka, Representative Director of SHONAI Co., Ltd., which operates "Suiden Terrace" in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, and works to enhance regional capabilities through business development centered on tourism, agriculture, human resources, and education. A session with Hidenori Kuroda, Representative Executive Officer and President of KOKUYO Co., Ltd., will be realized. Also confirmed to speak is Kazutaka Mori, a key figure in the town development of Higashisonogi, Nagasaki. He will discuss the thoughts and specific processes behind achieving astonishing figures such as the founding of 66 companies and 500 new residents in 10 years in a town of 8,000 people, the challenges overcome at each stage, and future prospects.

Furthermore, Yudai Oka of Staple Co., Ltd., which transforms the uniqueness of regions into regional assets, will also speak. He will explore the role of a "soft developer" who discovers and nurtures new business sprouts from the background of culture and industry, the town's landscape, and people's connections.

<Session List>*Detailed session themes etc. will be released in early August.

13:00 - 13:50 Opening Session (Coming Soon)

14:00 - 14:45 Talk Session 1

Speaker: Daisuke Yamanaka, Representative Director, SHONAI Co., Ltd. / Hidenori Kuroda, Representative Executive Officer and President, KOKUYO Co., Ltd.

Moderator: Mikio Mochizuki, KOKUYO Co., Ltd.

15:00 - 15:45 Talk Session 2

Speaker: Kazutaka Mori, Representative Director, Hibi Kenkyusho Co., Ltd.

Moderator: Monami Minoe, SMILES Co., Ltd.

16:20 - 17:05 Talk Session 3

Speaker: Yudai Oka, Representative Director, Staple Co., Ltd.

Moderator: Yosuke Miura, KOKUYO Co., Ltd.

Exhibition & Workshop Content

Focus and Hints Exhibition on Regional Issues

This exhibition gathers cases from all over Japan that uniquely solve regional issues and reveals the secrets to their success. Focusing on "problem setting (focus)" for regional issues and "perspectives for approaching solutions (hints)," it introduces 50 carefully selected cases from across the country through panels and other displays.

Workshop "Kaidiet <Local Government Collaboration Edition>" (Free, Pre-registration required)

This workshop trains "problem-setting ability," which Baton no Yokoku emphasizes in regional revitalization activities. Participants will hone their problem-setting skills from the perspectives of "focus" and "hints" using advanced cases of regional revitalization, enabling them to correctly grasp regional issues and connect them to solution ideas. This year's Kaidiet features collaboration with local governments. The workshop will use actual problems currently faced by local governments as themes. Collaborating local governments and specific themes will be announced in early August.

*Kaidiet is scheduled to be held twice on 9/17 (Thu): 9:45-11:00 and 11:15-12:30. Detailed information release and application start are scheduled for early August.

Grand Business Card Exchange

A networking event where local governments, regional businesses, companies, and students gather on equal footing to connect as peers facing regional issues. Light refreshments will be provided.

<Scenes from last year's "Baton no Yokoku Conference 2025">

◎Report here: https://x.gd/VPOAJ

Talk Session Venue

Focus and Hints Exhibition on Regional Issues

Workshop "Kaidiet"

Grand Business Card Exchange

Company Information

About SMILES Co., Ltd.

SMILES Co., Ltd. is a company that engages in "real business and production/consulting." Starting with the soup specialty store "Soup Stock Tokyo," the company has developed businesses that propose new ways of living without being bound by existing concepts or industry frameworks, such as the tie specialty store "giraffe" and "PASS THE BATON." In recent years, as a value consulting and production firm "Smiles: PROJECT & COMPANY," it has utilized its own practical knowledge to create "value that didn't exist" by embodying "N=1" experiences and sensibilities, possessing all functions from business development to design, PR, operation coordination, space design, and web construction.

Consultations from local governments and chambers of commerce are increasing, and the company also undertakes projects that shed light on and disseminate regional values and cultures, utilizing the platform of its "PASS THE BATON MARKET."

▶Smiles: Official Website

http://www.smiles.co.jp/

▶Smiles: Creative Archives

https://creative.smiles.co.jp/

About KOKUYO Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1905, KOKUYO has addressed customer challenges of each era through the manufacturing and sales of stationery and office furniture, space design, and mail-order services for offices. In 2025, its 120th anniversary, KOKUYO set its corporate message as "Curiosity into Life." In the domains of "working," "learning," and "living," the company aims to be a company that stimulates customers' curiosity by creating rich lifestyles that are not limited to stationery and furniture.

▶KOKUYO: Official Website

https://www.kokuyo.com/