DEA Launches Next-Gen Disaster Prevention Project 'XU淳LABO' with Atsushi Tamura at Toranomon Hills

Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA) (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Directors: Naohito Yoshida, Kozo Yamada), a company developing social-issue-solving games, participated as a co-creation partner in the 'XU Conference 2026: The Power of Japan Exhibition' held at Toranomon Hills on March 20, 2026. In the fourth session, 'Future of the Region x Action Expo! ~Disaster Tech with University Students. Let's Protect the City from Disasters!~,' DEA's Yamada took the stage alongside producer Atsushi Tamura, representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mori Building Co., Ltd., and disaster tech companies. They presented a sustainable form of disaster prevention using gamification and announced the launch of a new initiative, 'XU University (XU淳LABO),' to move research into social implementation.

[XU Conference 2026: The Power of Japan Exhibition] This conference gathered leading Japanese companies, researchers, and students under the theme of 'Challenging global issues with the power of Japanese technology.' It served as a blueprint for how to implement Japanese technology into society to address energy, environment, industrial structure, and regional economic issues.

[Social Contribution through Gamification] Fifteen years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and following lessons from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, implementing disaster prevention as a 'daily landscape' rather than 'special preparation' is urgent. Yamada pointed out that systems relying solely on goodwill have limits. He stated that by leveraging gamification to make 'spontaneous fun' the axis of motivation, sustainable social implementation becomes possible. He cited the citizen-participatory infrastructure inspection game 'PicTrée' as an example, showing how the logic of citizens inspecting infrastructure while having fun can be repurposed as a foundation for mutual aid during emergencies.

[Phase-Free Co-creation] At the venue, Japan's advanced manufacturing technology was showcased, combined with DEA's 'fun' approach. Yamada expressed his desire to elevate these excellent disaster prevention technologies into services that citizens can use in their daily lives, rather than just stockpiled goods.

[New Initiative: XU University (XU淳LABO)] Announced at the finale, this is a next-generation participatory project with three pillars: 1. No campus (utilizing partner offices/labs), 2. Immediate social implementation of research, and 3. Students as information hubs. Yamada concluded by stating, 'Through this new form of university, we want to update disaster prevention from an obligation to a creative activity to protect our city.'