Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture, to Recruit Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team Members to Promote the "Tokushima Matchbox" Spot Work Platform in Collaboration with Tokushima Prefecture

Matchbox Technologies Inc. (Headquarters: Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture, President: Hiroaki Sato, hereinafter referred to as "the Company"), in collaboration with Tokushima Prefecture, operates the spot work platform "Tokushima Matchbox." Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture, which is promoting initiatives to become a yuzu production area, will begin efforts to promote and support the utilization of this platform using Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team members from fiscal year 2026.

Mima City, one of the leading yuzu production areas in the prefecture, is currently working with Tokushima Prefecture and private companies to develop it into a yuzu production area. A key challenge is addressing labor shortages during peak seasons such as harvest. To tackle these issues, Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team members will act as a bridge connecting government, private businesses, and agricultural workers, taking responsibility for promoting "Tokushima Matchbox" and supporting its adoption within the region. Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team members are part of a national system where individuals who have relocated from urban to rural areas work to solve regional issues and revitalize the community for a term of 1 to 3 years with support from local governments.

The Company aims to strengthen its collaboration with Mima City and Tokushima Prefecture to secure human resources for businesses during agricultural busy seasons and to create related populations centered around agriculture. Furthermore, through this initiative, we will promote the creation of a new model for securing agricultural labor in Mima City and aim for expansion both within and outside the prefecture.

About Tokushima Matchbox "Tokushima Matchbox" is a spot work platform launched in August 2025 through the collaboration between the Company and Tokushima Prefecture. It is a new initiative to promote employment opportunities by leveraging digital technology to connect diverse human resources from within and outside the prefecture with local businesses.

Businesses within the prefecture can post spot work job openings for free, and job seekers can apply for positions located within the prefecture for short-term employment, available in units of one day or several hours. Furthermore, a system developed based on patents supports the laws and regulations related to spot work, such as unemployment benefits and tax calculations. In collaboration with administrative bodies, it is provided as a service that both businesses and job seekers can use with peace of mind.

This project aims to maximize employment opportunities in the region by supporting businesses in securing personnel and by offering flexible working styles to diverse individuals, including local residents. It is also expected to play a role as a new employment infrastructure that supports the building of relationships among people who work continuously in the region, not just for temporary staffing needs.

Expanding Spot Work Utilization in the Agricultural Sector "Tokushima Matchbox" is increasingly being utilized in the agricultural sector within Tokushima Prefecture. Chiryu Farm, an agricultural business in Anan City, Tokushima Prefecture, has introduced "Tokushima Matchbox" to address labor shortages during peak seasons like harvest. By utilizing "Self-Sourcing" (※), they have achieved stable labor force acquisition during busy periods. From a state where spot work was rarely used before introduction, they succeeded in hiring for 38 positions within just one month of implementation. Many applicants are new to agriculture but quickly learn the tasks and become valuable assets, leading to new people participating in agriculture.

Against the backdrop of such utilization examples in the agricultural sector, interest in initiatives to secure agricultural labor using spot work is growing in various municipalities within Tokushima Prefecture.

※Self-Sourcing: A system where businesses can register past employees, alumni, or registered part-time workers as their own talent pool and directly recruit them through limited job postings when needed. This makes it easier to secure a stable pool of spot workers. ■ Mima City's Initiatives (from Mima City HP) Mima City is one of the leading yuzu production areas in the prefecture. The city is working with Mizkan Co., Ltd., JA Zen-Noh Tokushima, JA Tokushima, and Tokushima Prefecture to strengthen the stable supply system for yuzu and to build a value chain from production to processing and sales. Through these initiatives, the city aims to develop as a yuzu production area and to establish a system for securing spot work personnel through the utilization of "Tokushima Matchbox" to resolve labor shortages during busy periods such as harvest. Regarding the Recruitment of Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team Members The Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team members being recruited this time will serve as a bridge connecting government, private businesses, and agricultural workers, promoting the adoption and utilization of "Tokushima Matchbox" within the region.

＜Main Activities＞ ・Promote the adoption of spot work in collaboration with "Tokushima Matchbox" ・Support registration and utilization for agricultural businesses ・Follow-up on the day of work ・Planning and operation of "Furusato Working Holiday" ・Support activities related to creating agricultural related populations

We encourage applications from those interested in regional support and creating labor securing systems centered on agriculture.

Recruitment Period: March 31, 2026 (Tuesday) - May 1, 2026 (Friday) (tentative) Recruitment Guidelines: https://www.city.mima.lg.jp/gyosei/docs/2515970.html Comment from Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture, Agricultural and Forestry Division Mima City will work to create a system for securing spot work personnel as a new initiative towards becoming a yuzu production area. We hope that the Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team members recruited this time will work with us to build the future of the yuzu production area through the promotion of spot work and the creation of agricultural related populations. We await applications from motivated individuals interested in agriculture and regional development who wish to contribute to the development of the yuzu production area! Comment from Tokushima Prefecture, Department of Living Environment, Labor and Employment Policy Division We are very pleased that Mima City will be promoting "Tokushima Matchbox" using Regional Revitalization Cooperation Team members. The prefecture will support this initiative in Mima City to become a new model case for securing agricultural labor and will also work to further promote its utilization throughout the prefecture.

At Matchbox Technologies, we aim to realize a society where everyone can work flexibly by leveraging digital technology. We will continue to collaborate with local governments to contribute to solving regional labor challenges.

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About "matchbox" "Matchbox" is a self-sourcing®︎ type cloud system that allows companies to handle spot work recruitment and management internally. By registering current employees, alumni, registered part-time workers, and previously hired spot workers into a system developed for the company, businesses can build their own talent pool, significantly reducing recruitment time and costs. Furthermore, all processes from recruitment to payroll and labor management can be easily managed centrally through the system, making it ideal for operational efficiency. It allows businesses to select trusted personnel, and for job seekers, it aims to be a fair and safe service by automatically providing unemployment benefits and conducting credit checks on companies, ensuring safety for both employers and workers. "Matchbox" aims to create an environment where everyone can work flexibly by building communities based on trust between companies and workers.

"Matchbox" Service Page: https://business.matchbox.jp/

About Matchbox Technologies We aim to realize "a world where employers and employees can work comfortably and true to themselves" and, with the mission of "realizing flexible work environments for companies through technology," we support companies and local governments in solving their labor challenges. Since 2020, we have been deploying "matchbox," a cloud-based system that allows companies and local governments to easily build their own spot work platforms and achieve flexible working styles in units of one day or several hours. To date, it has been introduced in 11,485 businesses and is provided as a unique spot work platform for local governments in 9 prefectures and 59 municipalities, including Niigata and Osaka Prefectures. We prioritize intellectual property strategy with the desire to focus on "solving social issues," which is our core focus, rather than getting caught up in competition based on capital strength. We have filed for over 40 patents related to spot work and self-sourcing both domestically and internationally, and have obtained 18 patents, including core patents. Our efforts and business growth have been recognized, and we have been selected as a promising next-generation startup in the "NEXT Unicorn Survey" 2025 edition by Nikkei Inc. We will continue to widely communicate the standard for new ways of working that combine the flexibility of spot work with the construction of reliable talent communities, and as a leader in this field, we will strive to solve social issues by advancing research and development of compliant, safe, and secure services.

Company Page: https://www.matchboxtech.co.jp/about-us "Matchbox" Related Newsletter: https://b.mxbx.jp/matchbox_newsletter_ss