Kyoto: National-Scale Regional Revitalization Forum with 500 Participants to be Held on August 30

Omoyui Co., Ltd. (Location: Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; Representative Director CEO: Haruki Seki) has decided to hold the "Civic Compass Forum 2026" (hereinafter: CCF2026), a regional revitalization event bringing together youth, local governments, and companies from across Japan, at KBS Hall in Kyoto on Sunday, August 30, 2026.

Prior to this event, we plan to hold a "Media Open Session" and an "Online Press Conference" as opportunities to publicly share the project's progress through an interim announcement.

*Scenes from last year's panel discussion*

**Background: Turning growing interest into action**

The previous event held in 2025 saw over 200 participants from across Japan (including 166 students), providing an opportunity to widely foster interest in regional revitalization.

Participant surveys also revealed that many students felt a heightened interest in regional areas, indicating that regions are beginning to be recognized as a "choice."

This year, we position this event as a phase to further advance this widespread interest and connect it to concrete actions and involvement.

*Many students participated in CCF2025*

**2026 Theme: Uncharted Territory**

CCF2026 sets its theme as "Uncharted Territory ~Pioneer the unexplored frontiers~."

Regions still possess numerous untouched resources and possibilities. However, these are not necessarily "visible options" for young people.

This event will re-examine the perspective of not only "what one wants to do" but also "where to achieve it," creating an opportunity for each young person to take the initiative to step into a region.

**Event Features**

**① Expanded to a national scale of 500 participants, creating a place where diverse players intersect**

The scale has been significantly expanded from the previous year, with a total of 500 participants planned, including over 300 students. By bringing together youth, local governments, companies, and regional revitalization players from all over Japan, this event will form a starting point for new value creation, going beyond mere interaction.

**② Practical Program "Civic Compass GRAND-PRIX"**

At the core of this event is a practical program where local governments, companies, and students form teams and address regional issues for approximately four months. Beyond theoretical ideas, they will refine their business concepts into implementable plans through fieldwork and dialogue with stakeholders. Finally, projects that receive evaluation and empathy will be selected after presentations to an audience of 500 people on the day of the event.

**③ Substantive evaluation based on multi-faceted judging criteria**

During the interim and final evaluations, assessments will be conducted based on the following perspectives:
・Passion (proactiveness and will to achieve)
・Empathy (connection with regions and stakeholders)
・Concreteness/Continuity (feasibility as a business)
・Regional Creativity (originality and impact)
Evaluation will emphasize "practicality that brings new value to the region," rather than simply the superiority of ideas.

**Open Session and Press Conference for Interim Announcement**

CCF2026 will provide the following opportunities for interim announcements to widely share the process leading up to the final presentation with society.

・Media Open Session (in-person)
Progress and local initiatives of each team will be publicly showcased, allowing media to cover the projects in action. Individual interviews with participating students will also be possible.

This open session will be held as part of a hook event leading up to the main event. In addition to May 12 (online) and May 20 (in-person), an in-person hook event is planned for mid-June, and this date is positioned as a "media coverage opportunity day" for media professionals.
This will be an opportunity to see the process leading up to the final presentation and the real activities of young people engaging with regions on site.

*Details regarding the date and venue for the in-person media coverage opportunity day scheduled for mid-June will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.*

・Online Press Conference
We plan to announce featured projects, progress, league rankings, etc., in a format that allows media professionals from distant locations to participate.

Through these initiatives, we will disseminate not just a one-off event, but the entire process of young people engaging with and challenging themselves in regional areas.

**Event Overview**

Name: Civic Compass Forum 2026
Date: Sunday, August 30, 2026, Doors open 11:30 / Start 12:00
Venue: KBS Hall (600-1 Kamichojamachi, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture)

Content:
Regional Revitalization Conference
Social Issue Resolution Pitch Contest (GRAND-PRIX)
Local Influencer Audition