FLN Awarded Contract for 'Otaru City Community Revitalization Worker Recruitment and Acceptance Operations'

Future Link Network (Headquarters: Funabashi, Chiba; Representative Director: Takeharu Ishii; hereinafter FLN), which promotes the creation of related populations, has been awarded the 'Otaru City Community Revitalization Worker Recruitment and Acceptance Operations' contract by Otaru City, Hokkaido.

This project will be implemented by forming a consortium with Minatomachi Johosha (Headquarters: Otaru, Hokkaido; Representative Director: Kazuhiro Minato). The consortium will provide end-to-end management, including the recruitment, selection, and support of three community revitalization workers in the fields of tourism promotion, migration promotion, and public relations through March 2027.

Background: Otaru City facing population decline and labor shortages Otaru City, Hokkaido, was once home to over 200,000 residents, but this has decreased to approximately 102,000. It is a city facing population decline, characterized by the outflow of young people and labor shortages in regional industries. While the city attracts over 8 million tourists annually, most are day-trippers, and the structure necessary to lead these visitors to stay-based consumption or migration remains underdeveloped. Additionally, there is an urgent need to raise awareness among those considering migration from across Japan and to improve multilingual support for foreign residents. Given these circumstances, Otaru City decided to introduce three community revitalization workers simultaneously in FY2026 to strengthen its problem-solving efforts. FLN was selected as the contractor through an open proposal process.

Project Overview Project Name: Otaru City Community Revitalization Worker Recruitment and Acceptance Operations Contractor: FLN-Minatomachi Johosha Consortium (Representative: FLN) Client: Otaru City Project Term: May 15, 2026 – March 31, 2027

Introducing Workers in Three Fields: Tourism, Migration, and Public Relations This project plans to hire one worker for each of the three fields facing challenges in Otaru City. The worker in the migration promotion field will be employed by Minatomachi Johosha, a member of the consortium.

1. Tourism Promotion Field (Employer: Otaru Tourism Association (Regional DMO)) The worker will plan and develop experiential content that utilizes Otaru's diverse tourism resources, such as nature and historical buildings, to drive consumption and qualitatively improve tourism. The primary mission is to create a flow that extends the length of stay for the over 8 million annual tourists, shifting from 'passing-through tourism' to 'stay-based tourism.'

2. Migration Promotion Field (Employer: Minatomachi Johosha) The worker will handle information dissemination to promote migration and settlement in Otaru City through content and angles that maximize their own skills. Additionally, they will promote the charm of the Kita-Shiribeshi area (six municipalities including Otaru City).

3. Public Relations Field (Employer: Otaru City) The worker will handle inquiries from foreign residents (interpreting and translation) and disseminate municipal information in foreign languages. They will respond to the situation of increasing foreign residents and practice multicultural coexistence.

Collaboration Case with 'Mypl' Partner: Nationwide Recruitment Power x Otaru Local Power This project is characterized by a 'two-tier support' structure where FLN and Minatomachi Johosha, having different strengths, divide roles.

FLN: Overall Coordination and Talent Recruitment FLN has a long-standing partnership with Minatomachi Johosha through the 'Mypl' regional information platform project. FLN leverages its outreach to 1,700 municipalities nationwide and its media, Nativ.media—which attracts 5 million page views annually for those interested in regional migration—to reach target audiences in urban areas. At the same time, based on its track record of supporting the recruitment of over 60 community revitalization workers, FLN will design a transparent selection process.

Minatomachi Johosha: Local Accompaniment Minatomachi Johosha is a 'Mypl Otaru' operator partner and a locally-rooted company based in Otaru City. It not only serves as the employer for the migration promotion worker but is also responsible for daily accompaniment support and life support. By facing the worker on-site and providing face-to-face support, they aim to improve the quality of activities and the retention rate.

Future Implementation: A Mechanism that Does Not End with 'Recruitment' Beyond just successfully hiring workers, the consortium will provide support with an eye on the workers' careers after their term ends. The follow-up plan after recruitment and arrival is as follows:

June–July 2026: Nationwide Recruitment Campaign The project will leverage four media outlets—Nativ.media, Furusato Kengyo, Mypl Otaru, and JOIN-FURUSATO—to reach a wide range of those interested in migration in urban areas.

June 17, 2026 (Wed): 'Regional Job Honest Salon' Held FLN will utilize the 'Regional Job Honest Salon' (9th session), which it has conducted as an existing series, for this community revitalization worker recruitment. It will be used as a place where potential applicants can 'hear the honest truth.'