Forval Concludes Comprehensive Partnership Agreement with Joetsu Shinkin Bank
Forval Co., Ltd. has signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Joetsu Shinkin Bank on March 30, 2026. This agreement aims to jointly promote DX, business improvement, and human resource development to address industrial structure challenges and support the sustainable growth of regional companies in the Joetsu area.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 13:39 (18h 39m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 01:39 (492h 0m after Collected)
Forval Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Masanori Nakajima; hereinafter “Forval”), a “Corporate Doctor (Next-Generation Management Consultant) Group” that visualizes and supports ESG management with the philosophy of “Creating a New Normal for a New World,” announced that it concluded a comprehensive partnership agreement with Joetsu Shinkin Bank (Chairman: Naokazu Hima) on Monday, March 30, 2026.
**Background and Purpose of the Agreement**
In Joetsu City, various regional issues have become apparent, including an industrial structure heavily skewed towards basic material industries in manufacturing, chronic labor shortages in SMEs due to employment concentration in large corporations, a decline in the number of workers in the construction industry, a reduction in the number of stores and sales in the retail industry, hollowing out of the city center, and a decrease in tourists. Under these circumstances, there was a need to establish a system that comprehensively supports DX promotion, business improvement, and human resource development to strengthen the management foundation of regional companies and achieve sustainable growth. Against this backdrop, Forval will collaborate with Joetsu Shinkin Bank to promote initiatives aimed at improving profitability and raising wages, enabling regional businesses to achieve sustainable management. Specifically, they will introduce measures such as visualization and analysis of management information, formulation of future visions, awareness reform and human resource development, digitalization, and operational improvements, and connect these to continuous improvement while measuring their effectiveness. Furthermore, by collaborating with regional financial institutions including Joetsu Shinkin Bank and related organizations to foster “corporate doctors” among regional personnel, they aim to strengthen support for regional companies and improve population outflow, with the ultimate goal of realizing a consortium.
**Content of the Agreement**
Forval and Joetsu Shinkin Bank will collaborate and cooperate on the following matters:
(1) Holding seminars and study sessions
(2) Initiatives related to industry-government-academia-finance collaboration in the region
(3) Initiatives related to fostering corporate doctors among regional personnel, including Joetsu Shinkin Bank
(4) Sharing statistical information
(5) Joetsu Shinkin Bank introducing its customers to Forval
(6) Initiatives for improving profitability and raising wages for sustainable management of regional businesses, as listed below:
① Visualization and analysis of regional business management information
② Initiatives for vision strategy formulation, awareness reform, and human resource development
③ Specific solutions such as digitalization and operational improvements
④ Effectiveness measurement
(7) Promotion of a cooperation agreement between this consortium and Joetsu City
(8) Other matters related to solving regional business challenges
**Comment from Naokazu Hima, Chairman of Joetsu Shinkin Bank**
“We are deeply honored to have concluded this comprehensive partnership agreement with Forval Co., Ltd. Based on this agreement, we will actively promote industry-government-academia-finance initiatives in the region. This agreement was reached to solve the various problems and challenges facing our region. Under our bank's management philosophy of 'contributing to the prosperity of the regional society, the realization of people's dreams, and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises as a regional financial institution,' we will work to solve the diversifying management challenges of local companies in cooperation with various related organizations.”
**Comment from Masanori Nakajima, Representative Director and President of Forval**
“We are deeply honored to have concluded this comprehensive partnership agreement with Joetsu Shinkin Bank. For many years, we have been deeply involved in the local community.”
Keywords: FORVAL, Forval, gdx, comprehensive partnership agreement, SMEs, management, DX promotion, Joetsu Shinkin Bank, DX, ESG
**Background and Purpose of the Agreement**
In Joetsu City, various regional issues have become apparent, including an industrial structure heavily skewed towards basic material industries in manufacturing, chronic labor shortages in SMEs due to employment concentration in large corporations, a decline in the number of workers in the construction industry, a reduction in the number of stores and sales in the retail industry, hollowing out of the city center, and a decrease in tourists. Under these circumstances, there was a need to establish a system that comprehensively supports DX promotion, business improvement, and human resource development to strengthen the management foundation of regional companies and achieve sustainable growth. Against this backdrop, Forval will collaborate with Joetsu Shinkin Bank to promote initiatives aimed at improving profitability and raising wages, enabling regional businesses to achieve sustainable management. Specifically, they will introduce measures such as visualization and analysis of management information, formulation of future visions, awareness reform and human resource development, digitalization, and operational improvements, and connect these to continuous improvement while measuring their effectiveness. Furthermore, by collaborating with regional financial institutions including Joetsu Shinkin Bank and related organizations to foster “corporate doctors” among regional personnel, they aim to strengthen support for regional companies and improve population outflow, with the ultimate goal of realizing a consortium.
**Content of the Agreement**
Forval and Joetsu Shinkin Bank will collaborate and cooperate on the following matters:
(1) Holding seminars and study sessions
(2) Initiatives related to industry-government-academia-finance collaboration in the region
(3) Initiatives related to fostering corporate doctors among regional personnel, including Joetsu Shinkin Bank
(4) Sharing statistical information
(5) Joetsu Shinkin Bank introducing its customers to Forval
(6) Initiatives for improving profitability and raising wages for sustainable management of regional businesses, as listed below:
① Visualization and analysis of regional business management information
② Initiatives for vision strategy formulation, awareness reform, and human resource development
③ Specific solutions such as digitalization and operational improvements
④ Effectiveness measurement
(7) Promotion of a cooperation agreement between this consortium and Joetsu City
(8) Other matters related to solving regional business challenges
**Comment from Naokazu Hima, Chairman of Joetsu Shinkin Bank**
“We are deeply honored to have concluded this comprehensive partnership agreement with Forval Co., Ltd. Based on this agreement, we will actively promote industry-government-academia-finance initiatives in the region. This agreement was reached to solve the various problems and challenges facing our region. Under our bank's management philosophy of 'contributing to the prosperity of the regional society, the realization of people's dreams, and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises as a regional financial institution,' we will work to solve the diversifying management challenges of local companies in cooperation with various related organizations.”
**Comment from Masanori Nakajima, Representative Director and President of Forval**
“We are deeply honored to have concluded this comprehensive partnership agreement with Joetsu Shinkin Bank. For many years, we have been deeply involved in the local community.”
Keywords: FORVAL, Forval, gdx, comprehensive partnership agreement, SMEs, management, DX promotion, Joetsu Shinkin Bank, DX, ESG