5th City Promotion Award Conference Held, Focusing on Sharing 'What Comes After the Award'
On April 21, 2026, the City Promotion Award Executive Committee held the 5th City Promotion Award Conference in a hybrid format in Harumi, Tokyo. The conference was established as a venue for winners of the City Promotion Award 2025 (CPA2025) to share the background of their initiatives and future prospects. Ten organizations, including gold award-winning cities, participated, creating a learning opportunity that transcended public and private sectors through case study presentations and panel discussions.
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- 📰 Published: May 18, 2026 at 19:00
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The City Promotion Award Executive Committee (Chairman: Takahito Kawai, CEO of Public Communication Laboratory LLC; Secretariat: Japan Management Association) held the 5th City Promotion Award Conference on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at the headquarters of Uluru Inc. in Harumi, Tokyo. This conference is a venue for the winners of the City Promotion Award 2025 (CPA2025) to gather and share the background, ingenuity, challenges, and future outlook of their initiatives.
At the venue, officials from a total of 10 winning organizations—including 3 Gold Award cities, 2 Silver Award cities, 2 Special Jury Prize winners, and 3 Encouragement Award winners—gathered alongside sponsoring organizations and other interested municipalities. The event was held in a hybrid format, combining in-person attendance with a Zoom webinar. Participants listened to case study presentations by the award-winning groups and a 60-minute panel discussion coordinated by the executive chairman.
### Event Overview
The 5th conference was designed to focus on 'what comes after the award.' It began with the presentation of award plaques, followed by case study presentations from the three Gold Award cities present (Sayama, Nabari, and Moka) and two Special Jury Prize winners (Suzuki Herb Laboratory Co., Ltd., and 'The story of a town by the best lake in Japan'). A 60-minute panel discussion, coordinated by Chairman Takahito Kawai and featuring representatives from the winning organizations and Vice Chairman Jintaka Hosokawa, delved into 'what was happening on the ground' and 'the reality behind the numbers.'
A subsequent pitch session provided a mutual learning opportunity across public and private sectors. Special sponsor Uluru Inc. and sponsors WingArc1st Inc. and sembear LLC, along with Silver and Encouragement award winners, shared their initiatives related to city promotion and building 'relational populations.'
### CPA2025 Award Winners List
- **Gold Award** (4 organizations): Konosu City (Saitama), Sayama City (Saitama), Nabari City (Mie), Moka City (Tochigi)
- **Silver Award** (4 organizations): Kawachinagano City (Osaka), Joso City (Ibaraki), Hida City (Gifu), Himeji City (Hyogo)
- **Special Jury Prize** (2 organizations): Suzuki Herb Laboratory Co., Ltd., 'The story of a town by the best lake in Japan'
- **Encouragement Award** (8 organizations): Nagoya City (Aichi), Mizunami City (Gifu), Shiojiri City (Nagano), Sugito Town (Saitama), Tome City (Miyagi), Hitachinaka City (Ibaraki), Tapaz (Kamiyama Marugoto Kosen students), Shimodate Kyoshikai (Ibaraki)
### Key Topics of the Panel Discussion (60 min)
Coordinator Chairman Takahito Kawai posed the following questions to the panelists based on the outcomes seen in the case studies:
- 'What kind of internal consensus-building process did you go through to arrive at this initiative?'
- 'What were the real-world feelings and stumbling blocks that aren't captured by numbers?'
- 'Should 'resident population' truly be the primary metric for city promotion?'
- 'To make this initiative sustainable, what needs to be done in the next year?'
*Specific details of each organization's initiative and speakers' comments are scheduled to be released sequentially on the City Promotion Award website and the Local Government General Fair's note page.*
- City Promotion Award HP: https://noma.citypromotionaward.com/
- Local Government General Fair Official note: https://note.com/noma_lgf/n/n0ed44957de7b
### Sponsorship
- Special Sponsor: Uluru Inc. (Venue provider / Presenter of 'Uluru Award')
- Sponsors: WingArc1st Inc. / sembear LLC
At the end of the program, special sponsor Uluru Inc. provided feedback and presented the 'Uluru Award,' offering a moment to praise the winners' efforts from a private-sector perspective.
### Regarding Applications for City Promotion Award 2026
The executive committee plans to begin accepting applications for the 'City Promotion Award 2026' from June 2026. The year-long schedule includes an announcement at the Local Government General Fair (July 2026), application start in August, deadline in September, judging from October to December, result announcement at the City Promotion Summit in January 2027, and the conference/award ceremony in April 2027.
Applications from private companies and organizations, as well as participation as committee members or sponsors, are welcome. Details will be announced on the official note and X (formerly Twitter).
### About the City Promotion Award
The City Promotion Award (CPA) recognizes outstanding city promotion activities (activities to recommend and endorse a region to be chosen) by municipalities, companies, and organizations.
At the venue, officials from a total of 10 winning organizations—including 3 Gold Award cities, 2 Silver Award cities, 2 Special Jury Prize winners, and 3 Encouragement Award winners—gathered alongside sponsoring organizations and other interested municipalities. The event was held in a hybrid format, combining in-person attendance with a Zoom webinar. Participants listened to case study presentations by the award-winning groups and a 60-minute panel discussion coordinated by the executive chairman.
### Event Overview
The 5th conference was designed to focus on 'what comes after the award.' It began with the presentation of award plaques, followed by case study presentations from the three Gold Award cities present (Sayama, Nabari, and Moka) and two Special Jury Prize winners (Suzuki Herb Laboratory Co., Ltd., and 'The story of a town by the best lake in Japan'). A 60-minute panel discussion, coordinated by Chairman Takahito Kawai and featuring representatives from the winning organizations and Vice Chairman Jintaka Hosokawa, delved into 'what was happening on the ground' and 'the reality behind the numbers.'
A subsequent pitch session provided a mutual learning opportunity across public and private sectors. Special sponsor Uluru Inc. and sponsors WingArc1st Inc. and sembear LLC, along with Silver and Encouragement award winners, shared their initiatives related to city promotion and building 'relational populations.'
### CPA2025 Award Winners List
- **Gold Award** (4 organizations): Konosu City (Saitama), Sayama City (Saitama), Nabari City (Mie), Moka City (Tochigi)
- **Silver Award** (4 organizations): Kawachinagano City (Osaka), Joso City (Ibaraki), Hida City (Gifu), Himeji City (Hyogo)
- **Special Jury Prize** (2 organizations): Suzuki Herb Laboratory Co., Ltd., 'The story of a town by the best lake in Japan'
- **Encouragement Award** (8 organizations): Nagoya City (Aichi), Mizunami City (Gifu), Shiojiri City (Nagano), Sugito Town (Saitama), Tome City (Miyagi), Hitachinaka City (Ibaraki), Tapaz (Kamiyama Marugoto Kosen students), Shimodate Kyoshikai (Ibaraki)
### Key Topics of the Panel Discussion (60 min)
Coordinator Chairman Takahito Kawai posed the following questions to the panelists based on the outcomes seen in the case studies:
- 'What kind of internal consensus-building process did you go through to arrive at this initiative?'
- 'What were the real-world feelings and stumbling blocks that aren't captured by numbers?'
- 'Should 'resident population' truly be the primary metric for city promotion?'
- 'To make this initiative sustainable, what needs to be done in the next year?'
*Specific details of each organization's initiative and speakers' comments are scheduled to be released sequentially on the City Promotion Award website and the Local Government General Fair's note page.*
- City Promotion Award HP: https://noma.citypromotionaward.com/
- Local Government General Fair Official note: https://note.com/noma_lgf/n/n0ed44957de7b
### Sponsorship
- Special Sponsor: Uluru Inc. (Venue provider / Presenter of 'Uluru Award')
- Sponsors: WingArc1st Inc. / sembear LLC
At the end of the program, special sponsor Uluru Inc. provided feedback and presented the 'Uluru Award,' offering a moment to praise the winners' efforts from a private-sector perspective.
### Regarding Applications for City Promotion Award 2026
The executive committee plans to begin accepting applications for the 'City Promotion Award 2026' from June 2026. The year-long schedule includes an announcement at the Local Government General Fair (July 2026), application start in August, deadline in September, judging from October to December, result announcement at the City Promotion Summit in January 2027, and the conference/award ceremony in April 2027.
Applications from private companies and organizations, as well as participation as committee members or sponsors, are welcome. Details will be announced on the official note and X (formerly Twitter).
### About the City Promotion Award
The City Promotion Award (CPA) recognizes outstanding city promotion activities (activities to recommend and endorse a region to be chosen) by municipalities, companies, and organizations.