This Year Marks the 4th Time! Local Voices Empower the Future of the Town - Open Name Business Succession "relay" Partners with Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, to Call for Businesses and Skills to Connect to Setagaya's Future!

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"relay" (operated by Light Right Inc., headquartered in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, CEO Ryuta Saito), an open name business succession platform that connects people who want to transfer their business with those who want to inherit it through "empathy," is launching the "Setagaya Ward Businesses to Connect to the Future" submission campaign in collaboration with Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, to pass on businesses nurtured in the community to the next generation.

Overview and Background

What are the "businesses in your community that you want to connect to the future"?

Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, located in the southwestern part of Tokyo's 23 wards, is the largest municipality in Tokyo with a population of 920,000.

Despite its proximity to the city center, it is rich in nature and coexists with culture and liveliness, making it a "face-to-face town" popular with everyone from young people to families.

However, according to the FY2025 Setagaya Ward Industrial Foundation Survey, 25.4% of businesses cited "lack of a suitable successor" as a business succession challenge. If retiring business owners cannot select appropriate successors, natural business closures due to a lack of successors are expected to increase, leading to significant economic losses for the local economy.

Addressing the issue of successor shortages is an urgent task to maintain stable local employment and protect the intellectual assets, such as know-how and technology, held by small and medium-sized businesses.

Setagaya Ward and relay are now launching the "Setagaya Ward Businesses to Connect to the Future" submission campaign for the fourth time to promote "business succession" that connects businesses nurtured in the community to the next generation. This campaign aims to widely disseminate the appeal of businesses rooted in the community and loved by many, and to pass on their aspirations to the future.

In the past three campaigns, we received over 900 submissions, garnering a significant response.

This year's campaign offers 500 yen worth of Setagaya Coins, usable with Setagaya Ward's cashless payment app "Setagaya Pay."

We look forward to many submissions this year as a step towards connecting your cherished businesses to the future.

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"Setagaya Ward Businesses to Connect to the Future" Submission Campaign Details

Prize Details

500 yen worth of Setagaya Pay Coins (hereinafter referred to as Setagaya Coins) will be awarded to 100 winners by lottery.

Application Period

July 1, 2026 (Wed) - August 31, 2026 (Mon)

Application Requirements

Submit your entry via the "Setagaya Ward Businesses to Connect to the Future" submission form on this page during the application period.

Winner Announcement

Winners will be selected by a strict lottery from among the applicants, and winners will be notified by email (notification scheduled for late September 2026). The announcement of winners will be made by notifying the winners.

Notes on Setagaya Coins

- Setagaya Pay is a cashless payment app launched in February 2021 by the Setagaya Ward Shopping Street Promotion Association Federation with the support of the ward. Users can download the "Setagaya Pay" app and charge it with cash to make cashless payments at "Setagaya Pay" member stores within Setagaya Ward.

* Not available for users under 16 years of age.

- For basic information and app specifications of Setagaya Pay, please visit the official Setagaya Pay website (https://www.setagayapay.com/).

- The prize for this campaign is Setagaya Coins. Setagaya Coins are electronic money that can be used for payments at Setagaya Pay member stores. 1 coin = 1 yen.

- You must download the Setagaya Pay app.

- The deadline for reading the URL for coin acquisition is December 31, 2026 (Thu).

* The URL will become unreadable after the deadline.

- Setagaya Coins are valid for one year from the last use of Setagaya Pay. Using Setagaya Pay will extend the validity period of the coins.

- Setagaya Coins can generally be used at all stores that are members and registered with the Setagaya Pay app.

Application Notes

- You may submit multiple entries, but you can only win once per person.

- Personal information obtained will be used solely for the purpose of this campaign, such as winner notification and shipping.

- Internet connection fees and communication charges incurred during application, winner notification, or submission of applicant information for this campaign will be borne by the applicant.

- Minors require the prior consent of their legal representative regarding the terms and conditions and participation in this campaign. By applying, it is deemed that the legal representative has given their consent.

- We cannot answer inquiries regarding the lottery method or results.

- Your entry may be invalidated if you do not receive the winner notification email, or if any fraudulent activity is found in connection with your application.

* Please note that applications will be invalidated in the following cases:

- Content that violates public order and morals.

- Content that violates laws and regulations.

- Content that infringes on the copyrights, portrait rights, or other rights of third parties.

- Content that slanders or defames third parties or infringes on their privacy.

- Content that interferes with our business operations.

- Content that includes personal information or information that can identify individuals.

* We reserve the right to freely use and reuse any comments or images posted in this campaign.

* Transfer or sale of prizes received by winners to third parties is prohibited.

* This campaign may be terminated without notice.

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About the Municipality x relay Collaboration Program

relay continues to evolve as a model that balances solving social issues with sustainable growth, and together with municipalities, financial institutions, and support organizations, we will expand the option of business succession to society.

Municipalities interested in business succession support or collaboration with relay are welcome to contact us.

Details of Municipality Collaboration Program

About Open Name Business Succession "relay"

Open name business succession "relay" conducts business succession matching, which was traditionally kept confidential under company names and corporate information, on an open name basis. It features stories of the aspirations that business owners have poured into their businesses, and widely solicits passionate successor candidates. This approach offers a new form of business succession based on empathy. Since its service launch in 2020, it has published approximately 890 successor recruitment cases and facilitated approximately 180 matches, achieving the No. 1 business succession matching rate and contract rate for five consecutive years (FY2020-2024) in Japan's business succession matching platform market.*

* Deloitte Tohmatsu Mic Economic Research Institute, Inc. "Current Status and Outlook of the Japanese Business Matching Platform Market" (Published November 2025).

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Company Profile

Company Name

Light Right Inc.

Representative

Ryuta Saito, Representative Director

Location

2F, TOKIWA30 Building, 4-7-28 Tachibana-dori Higashi, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture

Business Activities

Development and operation of open name business succession "relay"

Date of Establishment

January 6, 2020

Official Website

https://light-right.jp/