Kakuichi Donates a Garage to Kashima City; Expanding into the Nation's First Entrepreneurial Support Model via Corporate Hometown Tax x In-Kind Donation

Kakuichi Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Riyu Tanaka), as part of its regional contribution through the Corporate Hometown Tax, donated a garage product via the in-kind donation system to the kitchen car challenge shop project 'Chance Kukaku' promoted by Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture. On Saturday, March 28, 2026, a handover ceremony was held in Kashima City, and the keys were handed over to the tenants.

What is 'Chance Kukaku'? This is an entrepreneurial support project that lends a kitchen car and an activity base (garage) for up to two years to entrepreneurs aiming to open a physical store around Kashima Jingu Shrine, providing hands-on support for management and sales promotion. Compared to conventional challenge shop projects, its feature is that it significantly reduces the initial investment and monthly costs for tenants. According to research by Kashima City, this is the first initiative in the country where a local government independently operates a kitchen car-type challenge shop utilizing the in-kind donation of the corporate hometown tax.

Kakuichi's Role In this project, Kakuichi donated a garage product to Kashima City as a corporate hometown tax (in-kind donation). By effectively reducing the maintenance cost of the garage facility used as an activity base by the tenants to zero, Kakuichi contributes to lowering the hurdles of starting a business. For Kakuichi, which has a 140-year history since its founding, a 'garage' is not just a storage space, but a 'place' where people nurture their dreams. Delivering products is not the only goal; being continuously involved in the local changes beyond that is the way Kakuichi operates.

Comment from Riyu Tanaka, President and CEO of Kakuichi Co., Ltd. 'Just like the Kashima Antlers, a 'miracle team' that evolved from a local club into an ever-victorious group, we want to create challengers who spread their wings from Kashima to the world. The 'place' for that is this Chance Kukaku. We are not just providing a vessel called a garage; we are creating a stage for challenges. I believe the first step that begins here will eventually become a new legend in Kashima.'

About Kakuichi Co., Ltd. A comprehensive manufacturer with a 140-year history founded in 1886 (Meiji 19). It develops businesses in a wide range of fields such as warehouse garages, hoses, nano-bubbles, solar energy, and MaaS, consistently handling everything from manufacturing to sales and construction. It has a nationwide sales and construction network and an extensive track record of collaboration with local governments and regional businesses. While collaborating with local governments nationwide, Kakuichi values not just 'proposing and ending' to the issues faced by the regions, but thinking together and continuously running forward together.