Kuradashi Selected as Finalist for 'Japan DX Awards 2026' in Sustainability Category
Kuradashi has been selected as a finalist for the 'Japan DX Awards 2026' in the Sustainability category for its food loss reduction initiatives using its inventory prediction AI, 'Kuradashi Forecast.' The company will present at the final judging on June 16.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 21, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 21, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 21, 2026 at 13:02 (1h 30m after Collected)
Kuradashi, Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kohei Kawamura; hereinafter 'Kuradashi') has been selected as one of the 24 finalists from 186 applicants for the 'Japan DX Awards 2026,' which recognizes initiatives that solve social and business issues through Digital Transformation (DX) to achieve sustainable growth.
Kuradashi will participate in the final judging, the 'Public Presentation,' to be held on Tuesday, June 16, as one of the four finalists in the Sustainability category.
■ Background of Selection and Kuradashi's 'DX'
To date, Kuradashi has pioneered the '1.5-tier distribution' market by purchasing food products that are still consumable but difficult to sell through regular channels due to factors such as nearing shelf life, seasonal factors, packaging damage, or natural disasters, and delivering them to consumers at discounted prices through its social good market, 'Kuradashi.'
However, to realize a truly sustainable society, it is essential to transform the mechanism from 'symptomatic therapy,' which rescues generated food loss, to 'causal therapy,' which prevents food loss from occurring in the first place.
Therefore, Kuradashi has developed a proprietary AI-based inventory prediction engine called 'Kuradashi Forecast,' which combines data from 640,000 members with vast amounts of accumulated purchase and flow data from 1.5-tier distribution. This initiative was evaluated for contributing to food loss reduction by not only improving the company's operational efficiency but also feeding back data to food manufacturers and distributors to promote optimization of the entire supply chain and suppression of overproduction, leading to its selection as a finalist.
[Kuradashi's DX Project Selected as Finalist]
Project Name: 'Designing 'No Surplus' with AI: Food Loss Causal Therapy-type DX Realized by Inventory Prediction AI'
Category: Sustainability Category
■ Comment from the Presenter
Masanaga Yoshida, Department Manager, Marketing Department / AX PJT Leader, Kuradashi, Inc.
'I am very honored to be selected as a finalist for such a prestigious award as the Japan DX Awards. The DX we aim for is not just the introduction of digital tools. It is to open up 1.5-tier distribution data as a platform and transform the structure of the entire food industry. With this selection, we will deepen cooperation with even more partner companies and take on the challenge of fundamentally solving the food loss problem using data as a weapon. Please look forward to the future development of the service evaluated this time, 'Kuradashi Forecast.''
Kuradashi will continue to convert social issues into value through sustainable business, creating certain impacts on society, the environment, and the economy. We will continue to take on challenges to realize our vision of becoming 'Japan's No. 1 Impact Company Group.'
Kuradashi will participate in the final judging, the 'Public Presentation,' to be held on Tuesday, June 16, as one of the four finalists in the Sustainability category.
■ Background of Selection and Kuradashi's 'DX'
To date, Kuradashi has pioneered the '1.5-tier distribution' market by purchasing food products that are still consumable but difficult to sell through regular channels due to factors such as nearing shelf life, seasonal factors, packaging damage, or natural disasters, and delivering them to consumers at discounted prices through its social good market, 'Kuradashi.'
However, to realize a truly sustainable society, it is essential to transform the mechanism from 'symptomatic therapy,' which rescues generated food loss, to 'causal therapy,' which prevents food loss from occurring in the first place.
Therefore, Kuradashi has developed a proprietary AI-based inventory prediction engine called 'Kuradashi Forecast,' which combines data from 640,000 members with vast amounts of accumulated purchase and flow data from 1.5-tier distribution. This initiative was evaluated for contributing to food loss reduction by not only improving the company's operational efficiency but also feeding back data to food manufacturers and distributors to promote optimization of the entire supply chain and suppression of overproduction, leading to its selection as a finalist.
[Kuradashi's DX Project Selected as Finalist]
Project Name: 'Designing 'No Surplus' with AI: Food Loss Causal Therapy-type DX Realized by Inventory Prediction AI'
Category: Sustainability Category
■ Comment from the Presenter
Masanaga Yoshida, Department Manager, Marketing Department / AX PJT Leader, Kuradashi, Inc.
'I am very honored to be selected as a finalist for such a prestigious award as the Japan DX Awards. The DX we aim for is not just the introduction of digital tools. It is to open up 1.5-tier distribution data as a platform and transform the structure of the entire food industry. With this selection, we will deepen cooperation with even more partner companies and take on the challenge of fundamentally solving the food loss problem using data as a weapon. Please look forward to the future development of the service evaluated this time, 'Kuradashi Forecast.''
Kuradashi will continue to convert social issues into value through sustainable business, creating certain impacts on society, the environment, and the economy. We will continue to take on challenges to realize our vision of becoming 'Japan's No. 1 Impact Company Group.'
FAQ
What is Kuradashi's DX project?
It is a project that uses its proprietary inventory prediction AI, 'Kuradashi Forecast,' to suppress overproduction of food.
Why were they selected as a finalist?
Because their causal therapy-type DX model, which 'prevents' food loss rather than just 'saving' it, was highly evaluated.
What is 1.5-tier distribution?
It is a system that purchases food that is difficult to sell through regular channels due to short shelf life or packaging damage and sells it at a discount.