JAL Group to Promote Human, Commercial, and Logistics Flow through Yamagata Cherries

(Joint Press Release)

June 8, 2026

JAL Tohoku Regional Office J-AIR Co., Ltd.

As part of the 'JAL Furusato Project,' the JAL Group aims to contribute to regional revitalization in Yamagata Prefecture by generating movement of people (human flow), distribution of goods (commercial flow), and transportation of materials (logistics flow) through Yamagata cherries.

JAL's Tohoku Regional Office (led by Regional Manager Jutaro Shiihashi) has been providing labor support for cherry harvesting, sorting, and packing at agricultural sites since 2022, in collaboration with JA Zen-Noh Yamagata, to address labor shortages and revitalize the region. Now in its fifth year, the initiative welcomes approximately 100 JAL Group employees recruited internally, as well as three new co-creation partners: Kanezaki Co., Ltd., Omotenashi Yamagata Co., Ltd., and Yamashin Kanko Co., Ltd. An unveiling event was held on Monday, June 8, at the Suzuki Farm in Higashine City.

2026 Co-creation Partners

Kanezaki: Contributes to increasing efficiency and improving quality in sorting and packing by leveraging expertise in food quality management and manufacturing operations. Omotenashi Yamagata: Fuses a regional DMO perspective with expertise in regional marketing (such as hometown tax payments). By engaging deeply with farmers, they identify on-site issues, contribute to adding value to products, and support sustainable regional development. Yamashin Kanko: Aims to leverage program experience to develop future content for 'agritourism' and tour packages.

By uniting the strengths of each company—aviation, food manufacturing, regional marketing, and tourism/travel—the project aims to achieve 'tourism content development' and the 'creation of new commercial and human flows' beyond traditional labor support, thereby contributing to the sustainability of Yamagata agriculture and regional revitalization.

In addition, through物産展(local product exhibitions) at the Haneda Sanchokukan and the 'ITAMI Sora no Ichi' (Airport Marche) events held primarily at Itami Airport, the JAL Group sells and introduces special products from across the country.

In June, the cherry season, the JAL Group will sell seasonal cherries and special products from Higashine City, the birthplace of the 'Sato Nishiki' variety, over two weeks. The Haneda Sanchokukan will also hold a tourism fair to promote Higashine City.

<Cherry Sales Events>

Customers who purchase cherries at the ITAMI Sora no Ichi 'Cherry Festival' will be eligible for a raffle with no losing tickets, limited to the first 100 people each day.

The JAL Group is dedicated to widely communicating the charms of Yamagata Prefecture to the nation, striving to promote tourism and expand the distribution of cherries, thereby sparking new interest in the region. By creating new flows in human movement, logistics, and commerce, the group aims to deepen ties with local communities and businesses while contributing to regional revitalization.