[Cabinet Office, Shimotsuma City, Mibu Town to Speak] 3rd Event to be Held on May 15 for "Future Forum for Small Towns," a Community for Local Government Officials in Municipalities with Populations of 50,000 or Less

Mindshare Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Masayoshi Imai) will hold the 3rd event of "Future Forum for Small Towns," a community for local government officials in municipalities with populations of up to 50,000, on Friday, May 15, 2026, in Tamachi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, and via nationwide online streaming.

Mr. Ryoichi Imanishi, Senior Policy Researcher of the Big Data Team, Regional Revitalization Promotion Office, Cabinet Office, will speak and explain the latest "RAIDA-AI" utilization methods, which were released to the public in March 2026. In addition, practical case studies will be shared from Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Mibu Town, Tochigi Prefecture. Participation in the first part is free, and registration is now open on the official website.

■ Background of the Event: "Smaller towns seek practical knowledge from similar-sized municipalities"

Out of 1,718 municipalities nationwide, approximately 1,200 are local governments with populations of 50,000 or less.

Local government officials facing a wide range of administrative challenges, such as DX promotion, creation of relational populations, and AI utilization, with limited personnel and budgets, often have few opportunities to encounter "live case studies" of what similar-sized municipalities are actually working on, where they stumbled, and what was effective.

"Future Forum for Small Towns" is a community for local government officials launched in December 2025 based on this awareness of the issue.

Following the 1st event (December 2025: 60 municipalities, 90 participants) and the 2nd event (February 2026: 47 municipalities, 51 participants),

Current registered members have expanded to 130 people from 103 municipalities across 35 prefectures (as of March 2026).

Official Website: https://chiisana-machi.jp/

■ Highlights of the 3rd Event

【1】The Cabinet Office explains the latest "RAIDA-AI" released in March 2026 for local government officials

Speaker: Mr. Ryoichi Imanishi, Senior Policy Researcher, Big Data Team, Regional Revitalization Promotion Office, Cabinet Office

Theme: "Town Development Utilizing Data ~RESAS and the Latest RAIDA-AI Released in March~"

【2】The reality of in-house DX that started with zero budget (Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture)

Speaker: Mr. Masayuki Kobayashi, Manager, DX Promotion Division, Mayor's Office, Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Theme: "In-house DX that started with zero budget ~Work reform promoted by staff~"

【3】The reality learned from establishing a Tokyo satellite office and the expanded network of people and companies (Mibu Town, Tochigi Prefecture)

Speaker: Mr. Masahiro Ochiai, Director, Tokyo Satellite Office, Mibu Town, Tochigi Prefecture

Theme: "Town development changed by connections ~A network of people and companies expanding from the Tokyo office~"

【4】Networking event connecting local government officials of similar size (venue only)

We will create horizontal connections across regions where participants can consult with each other when in need. We will expand relationships for information exchange even after the event.

【5】Consult with AI professionals on practical AI utilization in the field (venue only)

This time, AI utilization professionals who support DX for companies and governments will also participate, making it easy for local government officials to consult on their DX and AI utilization concerns.

■ Event Outline

Name

"Future Forum for Small Towns" 3rd Event

Date and Time

Friday, May 15, 2026, 14:00-17:30

Venue

Venue (Tamachi Nichiei Building 4F, Minato-ku, Tokyo) + Online distribution

Target Audience

Local government officials in municipalities with populations of up to 50,000 (officials from other municipalities and sizes can also participate)

*Please note that private companies are not permitted to participate.

Participation Fee

・Part 1: Free

・Networking event: 500 yen (equivalent to actual cost, venue only)

Program

【Part 1】14:00~ (Venue/Online)
①Case studies of initiatives in small towns
▼ Mr. Masayuki Kobayashi, Manager, DX Promotion Division, Mayor's Office, Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture
"In-house DX that started with zero budget ~Work reform promoted by staff~"

▼ Mr. Masahiro Ochiai, Director, Tokyo Satellite Office, Mibu Town, Tochigi Prefecture
"Town development changed by connections ~A network of people and companies expanding from the Tokyo office~"

【Part 2】Networking event 16:30~ (Venue only)
▼ Practical AI utilization methods on site ~Consultation on local government work concerns~
Mr. Daisuke Hirata (Monster Lab Inc.)

▼ Networking event to connect with peers
This is a place to create horizontal connections across regions where participants can consult with each other when in need. Local government officials of similar size can directly discuss their work concerns and case studies. The aim is to build continuous relationships for information exchange even after the event.

Organizer

Future Forum for Small Towns Secretariat (within Mindshare Inc.)

Application

Via the official website's participation registration form

Official Website

https://chiisana-machi.jp/

■ Participating Municipalities in the Community (as of March 2026, excerpt)

A total of 130 people from 103 municipalities across 35 prefectures are participating.

・Hokkaido/Tohoku: 11 municipalities

・Kanto: 25 municipalities

・Chubu: 32 municipalities

・Kinki: 8 municipalities

・Chugoku/Shikoku: 4 municipalities

・Kyushu/Okinawa: 19 municipalities

・Prefectures: 5 prefectures

■ Secretariat Comment

From officials of small-scale local governments...

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