Kobe City Recruits "Innovation Specialist" through En-Japan's 'Social Impact Recruitment Project'

En-Japan Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, Chairman and President: Michikatsu Ochi) launched Kobe City's 'Social Impact Recruitment Project' (https://www.enjapan.com/) on Thursday, May 7, 2026. Through our recruitment support services, we are publicly recruiting an "Innovation Specialist." Below, we introduce an overview of this project and a comment from Mr. Fumihiko Minoda, Section Chief of the New Industry and Science Technology Division, Economic and Tourism Bureau, Kobe City. Additionally, 'AMBI' has published a special interview with Ms. Hikaru Yabusaki, who serves as an "Innovation Specialist."

Click here for recruitment details and the special page: https://www.enjapan.com/project/kobe_2511/ Click here for the interview article: https://en-ambi.com/featured/1690/

Project Overview

Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, pioneered "startup support initiatives" nationwide in 2016 and has since promoted the establishment of an ecosystem. Various measures have been implemented, including the opening of "ANCHOR KOBE," a business square serving as a hub for industrial creation, the establishment of cooperative frameworks with influential domestic and international VCs, the launch of a "public-private partnership fund," the promotion of industry-academia-government collaboration projects, and the attraction of overseas startups. The cumulative number of supported startups exceeds 500, and this network continues to expand.

A key to these efforts is the presence of "Innovation Specialists" who are responsible for creating innovation through startup support. In Kobe City, many private sector professionals recruited through public offerings are actively contributing. They have implemented numerous initiatives based on the knowledge and ideas cultivated externally.

Building on these achievements, Kobe City's startup support is evolving to a new stage. Until now, the city has focused on expanding the base, including increasing the number of startups created. Going forward, the policy is to emphasize "initiatives to create next-generation industries," such as fostering globally growing, profitable startups. Therefore, with En-Japan's support, Kobe City is now publicly recruiting an "Innovation Specialist" to play a central role in this challenge.

The "Innovation Specialist" position currently being recruited will primarily focus on key areas such as AI and deep tech, providing startup support and attraction, and promoting industry-academia-government collaboration. The main mission is to connect startups, universities, and companies with advanced technologies, promoting business support and co-creation. While the primary base of operations will be Kobe, the specialist is expected to plan and execute new measures with a global growth perspective, collaborating with diverse stakeholders such as domestic and international universities, research institutions, and VCs.

We look forward to applications from ambitious individuals who aspire to nurture world-class companies from Kobe.

Comment from Mr. Fumihiko Minoda, Section Chief, New Industry and Science Technology Division, Economic and Tourism Bureau, Kobe City

Kobe City has been implementing startup support nationwide since 2016. The New Industry and Science Technology Division consists of nearly half its members being external personnel from private companies, and the entire team is advancing diverse projects with flexible ideas and a sense of speed.

What we seek from the successful candidate is a contribution to innovation creation in Kobe based on "knowledge, experience, and relationships" that administrative officials typically do not possess. Approximately 10 years after starting startup support, we will further strengthen innovation creation in Kobe through industry-academia-government collaboration, alongside support for key areas such as AI and deep tech.

Looking 5 and 10 years ahead, we await applications from those who can work with us to consider and implement measures that leverage "Kobe's unique characteristics."

Recruitment Requirements

Recruitment Position: "Innovation Specialist"

Application Acceptance Sites: 'Mid-career転職', 'AMBI', 'エン転職'

Application Acceptance Period: Thursday, May 7, 2026 – Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Special Page: https://www.enjapan.com/project/kobe_2511/

Our Support Services for this Project

In addition to announcements via press releases, special pages, and web advertisements, we provide support for attracting applicants through various job sites. By utilizing job sites with different target audiences, such as 'Mid-career転職', 'AMBI', and 'エン転職', we comprehensively deliver job postings to the target audience.

'Social Impact Recruitment Project' - Challenging to solve social issues through recruitment https://www.enjapan.com/

This is a project where En-Japan fully supports "Social Impact Recruitment," which involves recruiting talent with particularly significant social impact. We are committed to ensuring success post-employment for various recruitment needs, including executive candidates for central government agencies, deputy mayors and DX managers for local governments, and core members for NGOs/NPOs, sports organizations, and ambitious companies.