Eliminating the Information Gap in Agricultural AI! Creating the "Easiest-to-Understand Agricultural AI Media in Japan"

Realizing a future where AI reaches farmers across Japan. 'Agricultural AI News,' a media outlet operated by the farmer support community 'Metagri Labo' (managed by Noujoujin Inc., headquartered in Funabashi, Chiba), which promotes agriculture and new technologies, aims to eliminate the information gap regarding agricultural AI and realize a society where all farmers can benefit from AI technology. We support 'April Dream,' a project that encourages companies to share their dreams on April 1st. This press release represents the dream of 'Metagri Labo' and 'Noujoujin.' Three Walls Facing Japanese Agriculture 1. Unstoppable Aging and Disappearing Successors According to the 2025 Census of Agriculture and Forestry (preliminary figures), there are 1.02 million core agricultural workers in Japan, a decrease of 340,000 compared to 2020 (*1). While the average age dropped slightly from 67.8 in 2020 to 67.6, this may reflect not only an increase in young farmers but also the retirement and exit of the elderly population. The question of 'who will support Japan's food supply' is no longer a future concern; it is a crisis happening right now. 2. The Rapid Advancement of AI Technology and its 'Non-Arrival' at Agricultural Sites Since the emergence of ChatGPT, generative AI has been utilized worldwide. However, Japan's generative AI usage rate is 26.7%, significantly lagging behind China (81.2%) and the United States (68.8%) (*2). Even more serious is the digital divide that has emerged between urban and rural areas, and between younger and older generations. The feedback we receive from farmers—'It looks convenient, but I don't know how to use it'—says it all. 3. The 'Invisible Wall' of the Information Gap Traditional tech media provides 'technical explanations,' while agricultural media provides 'cultivation know-how.' However, there has been almost no media that 'conveys how to use AI from a farmer's perspective and in a farmer's language.' What farmers truly need is not technical or academic explanations, but 'AI usage tips that can be tried in 5 minutes before heading out to the field tomorrow morning.' (*1) Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 'Overview of the 2025 Census of Agriculture and Forestry Results (Preliminary Figures)' (Published November 28, 2025) (*2) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, '2025 White Paper on Information and Communications' (Published July 2025) The World 'Agricultural AI News' Aims For To address these issues, we are supporting the resolution of various challenges faced by agricultural workers through our generative AI utilization media for farmers, 'Agricultural AI News.' During the 2026 tax filing season, articles on topics directly related to practical work, such as 'JA dividends,' 'e-Tax entry for agricultural income,' and 'apportionment of household expenses,' were consistently viewed, with readers moving on to related articles. A cycle of practical information is being created where one question leads to further learning. - Special Feature Series: Planning and producing systematic content by theme, such as AI utilization features for new farmers and physical AI features. Content that concretely depicts the future of agriculture, such as experimental reports on AI autonomously cultivating tomatoes, is also gaining attention. - Sharing Real Examples through Farmer Interviews: We conduct direct interviews with farmers across the country. We turn real-world AI usage cases into articles, delivering content that lets readers know, 'There was a farmer with the same worries as me.' - Media Ambassador System: The first three media ambassadors have been selected. The dissemination of practical cases through the co-creation of farmers and AI has begun. Through this content, we will transform the 'I don't understand AI' and 'I can't use AI' in agricultural settings into 'I can do it' and 'It's interesting.' About 'Agricultural AI News' Agricultural AI News is a web media outlet with the mission of 'eliminating the information gap in agricultural AI,' delivering easy-to-understand and practical AI utilization information to all farmers. In the three months since its launch, it has recorded over 3,000 cumulative unique users. We publish articles that are easy for beginners to engage with, focusing on 'immediately usable' AI application methods for tax filing, accounting, information dissemination, daily farm management, document creation, and regional cooperation. Farmer Support Community 'Metagri Labo' Metagri Labo is a community working toward the realization of sustainable agriculture under the keyword 'Agriculture x New Technology.' Activities began in March 2022, and as of April 2026, more than 1,300 people are participating. We call ourselves a 'Lab' because we value the attitude of taking on new social experiments without fear of failure. If you are interested in initiatives that combine agriculture with web3 or generative AI technology, please join our community. Inquiries Noujoujin Inc. Representative: Yuichiro Kai Services provided (partial): Agricultural marketing support, Planning and development of Agriculture x New Technology, Planning and operation of AI workshops, Book publishing URL: https://noujoujin.com/ Email: info@noujoujin.com 'April Dream' is a project by PR TIMES where companies share the dreams they hope to achieve. We are seriously aiming to realize this dream.