May 27 (Wed) Kankei Jinko Strategy Seminar to be Held: Learning How to Create 'Related Population' through 'People x Experience x Hubs' from the Case of Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, an Agricultural Town with a Population of Approximately 40,000

Future Link Network Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture; Representative Director: Takeharu Ishii; hereinafter FLN), which promotes the creation of 'Kankei Jinko' (related population), will hold an online seminar on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, titled "[Kankei Jinko Strategy Seminar #7] Learning How to Create 'Related Population' through 'People x Experience x Hubs' from the Case of Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, an Agricultural Town with a Population of Approximately 40,000."

While many regions possess unique charms, it is not uncommon for people to say they are not interested in the 'town' itself.

This is, in fact, the 'real problem' faced by many local governments and regional businesses.

This time, together with Mr. Sakata, an FLN staff member who served for two years as a regional revitalization entrepreneur in Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, we will unravel strategies to prevent strong regional resources from ending in 'one-off consumption' and instead connect them to 'continuous relationships (Kankei Jinko).'

This seminar is packed with hints for local government officials and regional business operators on how to design their own brands, build communities, and become an 'ever-chosen entity.'

Seminar Overview

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 14:00-15:00

Method: Conducted online (using Zoom Webinar) *An archive video will be distributed to all applicants at a later date.

Participation Fee: Free

Capacity: Limited to 100 people

Application URL: https://nativ.media/107280/

Organizer: FLN's Kankei Jinko Creation Project (Future Link Network Co., Ltd.)

Timetable (tentative):

14:00 Opening

14:05 Speaker Introduction

14:10 Talk Session

14:45 Q&A

14:55 Announcements / Closing

*Contents may be partially changed on the day. Please be aware in advance.

Speakers

Daichi Sakata

Manager, Public G, Regional Marketing Department, Future Link Network Co., Ltd.

Born in Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture. After completing his master's degree at Keio University Graduate School of System Design and Management, he joined Nanto City Hall in Toyama Prefecture and was engaged in tourism policy. In 2021, he joined Future Link Network Co., Ltd. and has been responsible for information dissemination and 'Kankei Jinko' measures tailored to regional issues, such as city promotion for local governments, childcare information dissemination, and public transportation information maintenance. From fiscal year 2024, he has been engaged in the Commerce and Tourism Division as a regional revitalization entrepreneur for Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, promoting tourism trend analysis, planning and operating agricultural experience programs, and 'Kankei Jinko' creation projects. Currently, he is working on regional design that creates 'continuous relationships with regions' from both data analysis and on-site practice.

Yushi Saso

Executive Officer / General Manager, Kankei Jinko Creation Department, Future Link Network Co., Ltd.

Born in Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture. Joined Future Link Network Co., Ltd. in 2013. After serving as the head of directly managed areas for the regional information platform 'Myplé' from the Public Solutions Department, he contributed to the growth of local marketing x SaaS business. After overseeing new business development and experiencing the launch of four businesses from 2022, he established the 'Kankei Jinko' Creation Department in September 2025 to consolidate these, and assumed responsibility as its general manager. Currently, he is envisioning the future of 'Kankei Jinko' creation from the perspectives of policy, on-site practice, and media, and is active on the front lines of solving regional issues.

Background of the Event

Rich agricultural products, famous specialty products, beautiful nature, and the appearance of living creatures there.

Many regions have unique charms specific to their land.

However, it is not uncommon for people to say that they like the local products but are not interested in the 'town' itself.

This is, in fact, the 'real problem' faced by many local governments and regional businesses.

Hokota City, which will be introduced this time, was one such example.

Hokota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, an agricultural town with a population of approximately 40,000, boasts the top position in Japan for 10 consecutive years from 2014 to 2023 in agricultural output (vegetables) by municipality, as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Despite having a star resource like the overwhelmingly popular 'melon,' it faced the challenge that 'products are chosen, but the region is not.'

From the perspective of people visiting direct sales stores, they might think, 'Melons are worth buying' or 'There are good things here.' However, when asked, 'Would you intentionally bring friends to this town?' or 'Is this a place you want to spend time in as a whole town?', the answer was not quite there.

Despite having very attractive individual resources, they were not connected as a 'total experience value of the town.'

So, what is needed to break away from 'point' consumption and encourage people to view the entire region as a 'surface'?