New Series "Kankei Jinko Lab" Launched. #0 "What Exactly is Kankei Jinko?" to be Held Online on Wednesday, May 27th ~ Featuring Masato Ito of IUJ GLOCOM as Lecturer, Organizing "Kankei Jinko" from the Forefront of Research Trends and Policies ~
The General Incorporated Association for Local Government DX Promotion (GDX) is launching a new series, "Kankei Jinko Lab," to re-examine the concept of "Kankei Jinko" (relational population) from the perspective of local governments and businesses. The first seminar, "What Exactly is Kankei Jinko?" will be held online on May 27, 2026, featuring Masato Ito, a lecturer and researcher at the International University of Japan's Global Communications Center (GLOCOM), who will organize the fundamentals of "Kankei Jinko" based on the latest research trends and policies.
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The General Incorporated Association for Local Government DX Promotion (hereinafter referred to as "the Council") is launching a new series, "Kankei Jinko Lab," to re-examine "Kankei Jinko" (relational population) from the perspective of local governments and businesses.
The first seminar in the series, #0 "What Exactly is Kankei Jinko?" will be held as a Zoom online seminar (free participation, pre-registration required) from 14:00 to 15:30 on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
Masato Ito, a lecturer and researcher at the International University of Japan's Global Communications Center (GLOCOM), will be invited as the series lecturer.
■ INTRODUCTION
You say, "Kankei Jinko is important from now on,"
but honestly, I don't really understand.
They are not residents, nor tourists,
but people who continue to be involved with a region.
Even with that explanation, I can't quite connect it to my own work,
or imagine what to start with.
Are Furusato Nozei donors Kankei Jinko?
Are people who return home once a year Kankei Jinko?
What about people who follow on social media?
── Perhaps all are correct, and all feel wrong.
You say, "Regions need Kankei Jinko from now on."
You say that in an era of population decline, pursuing only permanent residency has its limits.
I agree. I agree, but then,
what should we do starting tomorrow?
How do we engage with people who don't come to the counter?
What can we offer to non-residents?
And fundamentally, does increasing Kankei Jinko
lead to the happiness of the people living in this region?
There's still so much I don't understand.
That's why I want to know.
Not the definition of words, but the stories of people actually working on the ground.
Not just successful cases, but the voices of people who continue while struggling.
What lies beyond "Kankei Jinko is important."
■ Background of the Event
The phrase "Kankei Jinko is important from now on" has been frequently discussed in the comprehensive strategies of local governments and the business concepts of private companies for a long time. However, at the local level, there is often confusion such as "What exactly is it?" and "How does it connect to our work?"
Are Furusato Nozei donors Kankei Jinko? What about people who return home once a year? What about people who follow on social media? ── Perhaps all are correct, and all feel wrong. Such voices are overflowing at local government counters and in corporate regional collaboration departments.
While the awareness that pursuing only permanent residency has its limits in an era of population decline is shared, the concrete image of "what to do starting tomorrow" is still in a trial-and-error state.
"Kankei Jinko Lab" is a learning platform that goes beyond introducing measures and tools, returning to the practical realities on the ground to re-examine Kankei Jinko. Masato Ito, who is at the forefront of research, will be invited as the series lecturer, and the seminars will be held continuously with changing themes each time.
■ Event Overview
Name
Kankei Jinko Lab #0 "What Exactly is Kankei Jinko?"
Sub-theme
Reorganizing the basics of Kankei Jinko from the forefront of research trends and policies
Date and Time
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 14:00-15:30
Format
Zoom online seminar (free participation, pre-registration required)
Target Audience
Local government officials, corporate representatives, researchers, and students interested in Kankei Jinko
Organizer
General Incorporated Association for Local Government DX Promotion (GDX)
Kankei Jinko Lab #0 Application here
*If the above link does not open, please apply by email to the address below.
General Incorporated Association for Local Government DX Promotion, Kankei Jinko Lab Secretariat E-mail: kankei@gdx.or.jp
In #0, we will reorganize the basics of Kankei Jinko and the latest research and policy trends.
From #1 onwards, we plan to take up one specific genre each time and invite local storytellers (local governments, companies, practitioners) active in that theme as guests.
■ Series Lecturer: Masato Ito
Lecturer and Researcher, International University of Japan's Global Communications Center
Graduated from Nagano University, Faculty of Environmental Tourism, and completed graduate studies at Hitotsubashi University. Has been involved in research and practice related to the movement of people across regions, such as rural migration, Kankei Jinko, and tourism, for many years. A leading authority on sociological research concerning young people's mobility choices.
Author of "Promoting Rural Migration from Numbers and Facts," "Mobility and Class," and "History of Post-War Japanese Rural Migration Policies." "Kankei Jinko Created by Companies and Regions" (edited, Gakugei Shuppan) is scheduled to be published in June 2026.
*Scheduled to continue appearing as a series lecturer from #1 onwards.
■ Future Development of "Kankei Jinko Lab"
"Kankei Jinko Lab" will be held as a series, with changing themes each time, starting from #0.
We will listen not only to "successful cases" but also to the voices of those who continue while struggling, and together with the participants, we will explore the practical knowledge that lies beyond "Kankei Jinko is important."
The first seminar in the series, #0 "What Exactly is Kankei Jinko?" will be held as a Zoom online seminar (free participation, pre-registration required) from 14:00 to 15:30 on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
Masato Ito, a lecturer and researcher at the International University of Japan's Global Communications Center (GLOCOM), will be invited as the series lecturer.
■ INTRODUCTION
You say, "Kankei Jinko is important from now on,"
but honestly, I don't really understand.
They are not residents, nor tourists,
but people who continue to be involved with a region.
Even with that explanation, I can't quite connect it to my own work,
or imagine what to start with.
Are Furusato Nozei donors Kankei Jinko?
Are people who return home once a year Kankei Jinko?
What about people who follow on social media?
── Perhaps all are correct, and all feel wrong.
You say, "Regions need Kankei Jinko from now on."
You say that in an era of population decline, pursuing only permanent residency has its limits.
I agree. I agree, but then,
what should we do starting tomorrow?
How do we engage with people who don't come to the counter?
What can we offer to non-residents?
And fundamentally, does increasing Kankei Jinko
lead to the happiness of the people living in this region?
There's still so much I don't understand.
That's why I want to know.
Not the definition of words, but the stories of people actually working on the ground.
Not just successful cases, but the voices of people who continue while struggling.
What lies beyond "Kankei Jinko is important."
■ Background of the Event
The phrase "Kankei Jinko is important from now on" has been frequently discussed in the comprehensive strategies of local governments and the business concepts of private companies for a long time. However, at the local level, there is often confusion such as "What exactly is it?" and "How does it connect to our work?"
Are Furusato Nozei donors Kankei Jinko? What about people who return home once a year? What about people who follow on social media? ── Perhaps all are correct, and all feel wrong. Such voices are overflowing at local government counters and in corporate regional collaboration departments.
While the awareness that pursuing only permanent residency has its limits in an era of population decline is shared, the concrete image of "what to do starting tomorrow" is still in a trial-and-error state.
"Kankei Jinko Lab" is a learning platform that goes beyond introducing measures and tools, returning to the practical realities on the ground to re-examine Kankei Jinko. Masato Ito, who is at the forefront of research, will be invited as the series lecturer, and the seminars will be held continuously with changing themes each time.
■ Event Overview
Name
Kankei Jinko Lab #0 "What Exactly is Kankei Jinko?"
Sub-theme
Reorganizing the basics of Kankei Jinko from the forefront of research trends and policies
Date and Time
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 14:00-15:30
Format
Zoom online seminar (free participation, pre-registration required)
Target Audience
Local government officials, corporate representatives, researchers, and students interested in Kankei Jinko
Organizer
General Incorporated Association for Local Government DX Promotion (GDX)
Kankei Jinko Lab #0 Application here
*If the above link does not open, please apply by email to the address below.
General Incorporated Association for Local Government DX Promotion, Kankei Jinko Lab Secretariat E-mail: kankei@gdx.or.jp
In #0, we will reorganize the basics of Kankei Jinko and the latest research and policy trends.
From #1 onwards, we plan to take up one specific genre each time and invite local storytellers (local governments, companies, practitioners) active in that theme as guests.
■ Series Lecturer: Masato Ito
Lecturer and Researcher, International University of Japan's Global Communications Center
Graduated from Nagano University, Faculty of Environmental Tourism, and completed graduate studies at Hitotsubashi University. Has been involved in research and practice related to the movement of people across regions, such as rural migration, Kankei Jinko, and tourism, for many years. A leading authority on sociological research concerning young people's mobility choices.
Author of "Promoting Rural Migration from Numbers and Facts," "Mobility and Class," and "History of Post-War Japanese Rural Migration Policies." "Kankei Jinko Created by Companies and Regions" (edited, Gakugei Shuppan) is scheduled to be published in June 2026.
*Scheduled to continue appearing as a series lecturer from #1 onwards.
■ Future Development of "Kankei Jinko Lab"
"Kankei Jinko Lab" will be held as a series, with changing themes each time, starting from #0.
We will listen not only to "successful cases" but also to the voices of those who continue while struggling, and together with the participants, we will explore the practical knowledge that lies beyond "Kankei Jinko is important."