DHK CANVAS Agent Plan Adopted for Kurashiki City's Citizen Affairs Phone Support AI; First Full-Scale Implementation in a Designated and Core City

GROWTH VERSE Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman and CTO Mitsunori Minamino; President and CEO Tomohiro Watanabe; hereinafter "GROWTH VERSE") is pleased to announce that its group company, Denwa Hoso Kyoku Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kita-ku, Osaka; President Masayuki Mori; hereinafter "Denwa Hoso Kyoku"), a provider of DX solutions for phone support such as IVR (voice bots), has had its AI phone auto-response service "DHK CANVAS Agent Plan" adopted for the citizen affairs phone support operations of Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture (population approx. 476,000). Full-scale operation commenced on July 1, 2026.

This marks the first full-scale implementation of an AI for citizen affairs phone support in a designated or core city nationwide (according to our own research. This initiative was also reported as a "national first" in the Asahi Shimbun on June 27, 2026).

Background

Kurashiki City's Citizen Affairs Division receives thousands of phone calls monthly regarding resident relocation, inquiries about My Number cards, and more. However, the number of phone lines is limited, leading to difficulties in reaching the division during peak periods.

To address these challenges, an AI-powered automatic phone response system was introduced with the aim of reducing the burden on staff while enhancing convenience for citizens.

Implementation Overview

* Implementing Body: Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture * Target Operations: Phone support for the Citizen Affairs Division (Family Register, Resident Records, My Number Cards, etc.) * Start of Operation: July 1, 2026 * Dedicated Phone Number: 050-3499-0208 * Support Scale: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, simultaneous support for 300 callers * Product Utilized: DHK CANVAS Agent Plan

Service Mechanism

The AI listens to questions from citizens and provides answers by referencing official information such as the Kurashiki City website. If the AI cannot handle a query, it is designed to transfer a summary of the question to a staff member. Users can also speak directly with staff members as before if they wish.

It has been pointed out that a common hurdle for municipalities adopting AI for inquiry response is the risk of incorrect answers. In this implementation, efforts have been made to ensure accuracy by limiting the information sources to official Kurashiki City information.

Evaluation by Kurashiki City Representative

A representative from Kurashiki City commented on the AI's voice, stating, "It feels almost like talking to a person" (Asahi Shimbun, June 27, 2026 report).

The AI implementation is expected to reduce the burden of phone support for staff by 20-30%, allowing them to allocate the freed-up time to counter services and specialized tasks, ultimately benefiting citizens (same report).

Regarding the Initiative

Since its founding in 1978, Denwa Hoso Kyoku has provided automatic phone response services for 47 years. Through the full-scale implementation in Kurashiki City, Denwa Hoso Kyoku will contribute to improving resident services in municipalities by combining its accumulated expertise in telephone operations with GROWTH VERSE's AI technology and development capabilities.

Furthermore, GROWTH VERSE and Denwa Hoso Kyoku were selected as the service provider for a demonstration experiment of AI automatic voice response for the "Reconstruction of the Inquiry Center" in Setagaya Ward (announced in May 2026), and will work to promote the adoption of AI for phone support, a core area of DX for local governments.

About DHK CANVAS

"A No-Code AI Agent to Innovate Telephone Operations" is the concept behind the AI phone auto-response service provided by Denwa Hoso Kyoku Co., Ltd. It combines a communication infrastructure backed by 47 years of experience with a proprietary AI engine for highly accurate automatic conversations, and can support large-scale call centers with its communication infrastructure for 70 million lines. Two plans are offered: "Agent Plan" and "Scenario Plan."

Service Site: https://lp.dhk-net.co.jp/canvas/

About Denwa Hoso Kyoku Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1978. As a pioneer in automatic telephone response, it provides IVR/voice bot solutions to a wide range of industries, including finance, public services, and telecommunications. It has been a group company of GROWTH VERSE Co., Ltd. since July 2025.

Head Office: Kita-ku, Osaka / Tokyo Branch: Koto-ku, Tokyo

Corporate Site: https://www.dhk-net.co.jp/

Company Profile

With the mission "BUILDING AI to maximize Business Growth," the company provides AI Agents to maximize corporate growth through data and AI. In the marketing domain, it develops and sells "AIMSTAR"; in the retail domain, "Miseshiru" and "Zero"; and in the voice domain, services from "Denwa Hoso Kyoku."

Company Name: GROWTH VERSE Co., Ltd.

Representatives: Chairman and CTO Mitsunori Minamino, President and CEO Tomohiro Watanabe

Date of Establishment: June 2021

Location: 38F, Atago Green Hills MORI Tower, 2-5-1 Atago, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-6238

Tel: 03-5956-3426 / Fax: 03-5956-3427

URL: https://growth-verse.ai

Reference Links

Official Kurashiki City (Information on Citizen Affairs AI): https://www.city.kurashiki.okayama.jp/kurashi/koseki/1026336.html

DHK CANVAS Service Site: https://lp.dhk-net.co.jp/canvas/

Denwa Hoso Kyoku Co., Ltd.: https://www.dhk-net.co.jp/

GROWTH VERSE Co., Ltd.: https://growth-verse.ai/