Realizing Business Ideas at the Fastest Speed & Minimum Budget: "Sumimatch," a Reverse-Designation Platform to Solve Housing Difficulties for Foreign Workers, Launches

DREAM CONNECT Inc. (Headquarters: Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture, Representative: Toshihiko Miyagi) has launched "Sumimatch," a reverse-designation matching platform that connects companies hiring foreign workers (hereinafter referred to as "hiring companies") with landlords who own vacant rooms or houses.

"Sumimatch" is a service that connects hiring companies facing challenges in finding housing for foreign workers with landlords struggling to utilize vacant rooms or houses.

Unlike the conventional approach where hiring companies search for properties, the platform's unique feature is that landlords can review information of registered hiring companies and prospective tenants and make an "offer to rent."

This service has also been adopted by Naha City's "Subsidy for Social Issue Resolution Companies" and will be offered completely free of charge, including all functions, usage fees, and matching fees, until March 2027.

June 25, 2026: Toshihiko Miyagi (left), co-representative director of the General Incorporated Association Sumimar, at a press conference held at the Okinawa Prefectural Government Building.

"Sumimatch" Reverse-Designation Platform PR Website

1. The "Housing Wall" Worsens Amidst the Expansion of Foreign Worker Acceptance

The number of foreign workers in Japan is increasing year by year. On the other hand, securing housing for employees is a significant burden for hiring companies. Issues such as being rejected for housing simply because they are foreign, being unable to find a property despite making dozens of inquiries, and being unable to proceed with hiring due to the lack of available housing are becoming bottlenecks for the recruitment and retention of foreign workers.

Meanwhile, landlords also face challenges. While there is a need to utilize vacant rooms and houses, language and cultural differences, anxieties about lifestyle habits, and concerns about handling troubles create psychological hurdles, making it difficult to rent to foreigners.

There are hiring companies and foreign workers who need housing, and at the same time, there are unused residences. "Sumimatch" was born as a mechanism to resolve the anxieties and lack of information that exist between them.

2. A "Reverse-Designation" Matchmaking System Where Landlords Choose Hiring Companies

The most distinctive feature of "Sumimatch" is its "reverse-designation" system, where landlords can review hiring companies and prospective tenants who meet their criteria and make an offer.

Hiring companies register the housing needs and desired conditions of their foreign workers. Landlords review potential matches based on rent, area, move-in date, acceptance conditions, and other criteria. If the landlord decides, "I am willing to rent to this hiring company/prospective tenant," they make an offer.

This reduces the burden of property searching for hiring companies, and landlords can make decisions after reviewing information about the other party in advance. Furthermore, by having the operating office act as an intermediary, it reduces the burden of individual adjustments while both parties are anxious.

"Sumimatch" Search Screen

3. Rapid Prototyping with AppSheet and Web App Development with Bubble

In the development of "Sumimatch," the first step was to use AppSheet to quickly materialize the idea. Areas such as housing searches for foreign workers, landlord anxieties, hiring company verification items, and the operating office's response flow are difficult for stakeholders to align on through documents or verbal explanations alone.

Therefore, a tangible prototype was created, allowing users to visualize and confirm their usageイメージ while looking at the screen.

After organizing registration items, search criteria, the landlord's offer flow, and the administrative office's confirmation process, and incorporating feedback from stakeholders, full-scale web application development using Bubble proceeded.

Digital Forward Inc., which provides system development support, emphasizes a development methodology that quickly visualizes business ideas using no-code/low-code tools and solidifies implementation plans while gathering feedback from stakeholders in their support for DX initiatives for small and medium-sized enterprises and local businesses.

With Shogo Yamauchi (right), representative of Digital Forward Inc., which supports the development of "Sumimatch."

4. Key Considerations for Ensuring a Service That Can Be Used with Peace of Mind

"Sumimatch" prioritizes creating a system that can be used with peace of mind by foreign workers, hiring companies, landlords, and the operating office.

1 B2B Model with Hiring Companies as the Point of Contact

The system is designed so that landlords interact with hiring companies (companies in Okinawa Prefecture that accept foreign workers) rather than directly with individual foreign workers.

By having landlords interact with the hiring companies that support the acceptance of foreign workers, rather than the prospective tenants themselves, the aim is to create a system that can easily alleviate psychological anxieties.

2 Comprehensive Support from the Operating Office and DREAM CONNECT Inc.

Instead of landlords and hiring companies negotiating directly from the start, the General Incorporated Association Sumimar, which is involved in supporting the residency of foreign workers in Okinawa Prefecture, acts as the operating office, establishing a system for information organization and responding to the needs of both parties.

DREAM CONNECT Inc. also supervises a curriculum to promote understanding of Japanese living manners and customs for foreign workers.

3 Highly Transparent Information Disclosure

Information about hiring companies, verification items regarding prospective tenants, and support systems are organized, and a user flow is designed so that landlords can confirm necessary information in advance before making a decision to accept.

This aims to create an environment where landlords can consider offers with a sense of satisfaction, rather than making decisions while harboring anxieties.

5. Completely Free Until March 2027, Focusing on Creating Success Stories First

Currently, "Sumimatch" offers all functions, including usage fees and matching fees, completely free of charge until March 2027.

This is not merely a campaign but a demonstration experiment to verify whether this mechanism can effectively function to address the social issues of housing difficulties for foreign workers and the utilization of vacant properties.

The goal is to gradually resolve the "anxiety about renting to foreigners" held by landlords and property managers by first creating success stories within Okinawa Prefecture.

In the future, while considering collaboration with administrative bodies and related organizations, we will expand our initiatives as a model for promoting regional revitalization through the improvement of the acceptance environment for foreign workers and the utilization of vacant properties.

[Media Coverage Achievements]

June 27, 2026: Featured in the Okinawa Times [General Incorporated Association "Sumimar" Releases Matching App "Sumimatch" to Secure Housing for Foreigners and Reduce Vacancy Rates]

June 28, 2026: Featured in the Ryukyu Shimpo [Support for Foreigners' House Hunting via App: "Sumimar" Releases App Connecting Employers and Landlords in Okinawa]

[Contact Information for This Matter]

Planning: DREAM CONNECT Inc.

Operation: General Incorporated Association Sumimar

Sumimatch Official Website: https://sumimatch.com/

Phone Number: 080-9857-2300 (Reception Hours: 9:00-18:00, Open Year-Round)

Email Address: sumimaruokinawa@gmail.com

[Inquiries Regarding System Development]

System Design/Implementation: Digital Forward Inc.