Amakusa City's "Digital Art Island Creation Project," Supported by ORENDA WORLD, Selected as First "Content Regional Revitalization Hub" by Cabinet Office
Amakusa City's "Digital Art Island Creation Project," backed by ORENDA WORLD, has been chosen as one of the initial 23 "Content Regional Revitalization Hubs" by the Cabinet Office. This advanced initiative, focusing on creating content industry and employment from scratch in local areas, was among only seven "Content Industry Promotion Type" projects nationwide, garnering high praise for its unique talent development and corporate aggregation strategies.
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- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 15:32
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ORENDA WORLD Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Hirofumi Shibuya; hereinafter "ORENDA WORLD"), in collaboration with Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, established the general incorporated association Digital Art Amakusa (hereinafter "Digital Art Amakusa"). The "Digital Art Island Creation Project" promoted by this association has been selected by the Cabinet Office as a "Content Regional Revitalization Hub."
This selection was announced on March 19, Reiwa 8 (2026), at the "6th Cool Japan Strategy Council" held by the Cabinet Office. It is part of the first phase of hubs, with 23 locations nationwide chosen out of a target of approximately 200 by 2033. Amakusa City's initiative was selected as one of only seven "Content Industry Promotion Type" projects nationwide, aiming to create content industry and employment from scratch in a local area, receiving high commendation for its advanced nature.
■ Key Features of This Project
- A strategy to implement new industries in the region through the cultivation of digital creators and the aggregation of companies.
- Highly effective "industry-government-academia collaboration" for human resource development, including CG education at Kumamoto Prefectural Amakusa Technical High School.
- Eight content-related companies have advanced into the city, promoting the "establishment of a sustainable economic zone" where young people can earn income while staying in local areas by leveraging technology.
■ Background and Initiatives to Date
ORENDA WORLD entered Amakusa City in February Reiwa 5 (2023), which led to the joint establishment of "Digital Art Amakusa" with the city in July of the same year. This association, with Representative Director Hirofumi Shibuya also serving as its Representative Director, aims to "localize" the digital content industry, such as games, anime, and video, to address the regional issue of youth outflow.
To date, they have provided technical guidance by active creators at Amakusa Technical High School and implemented creator attraction measures to brand the entire island as a "studio conducive to production." These activities have garnered nationwide attention, including being featured in video teaching materials introducing industry-academia collaboration examples in specialized high schools by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
■ Comment from Hirofumi Shibuya, Representative Director of ORENDA WORLD Inc. (and Representative Director of Digital Art Amakusa)
"I am confident that this selection by the Cabinet Office is a result of our challenge, pursued together with Amakusa City, to 'make local areas centers for content production,' being recognized as a crucial national policy hub. Our goal is to implement a 'self-sustaining industrial structure' where technology is learned, works are created, and employment is generated, rather than relying on specific single productions. This is the essence of ORENDA WORLD's vision of AI x Regional Revitalization. We will continue to combine Amakusa's rich natural environment with cutting-edge technology to disseminate a new model of local areas where creators can thrive, to the world."
■ Future Outlook
Leveraging this selection, ORENDA WORLD will further strengthen cooperation with the Cabinet Office and related ministries, accelerating the establishment of the "Digital Art Island" brand by 2033. Through the digitalization of regional assets and further development of production environments, we aim to build an ecosystem where domestic and international creators gather, and digital content continuously originates from Amakusa to the world.
【General Incorporated Association Digital Art Amakusa】
Established: July 10, 2023
Location: 3-17 Chuo Shinmachi, Amakusa City, 863-0023
URL: https://www.digi-ama.com/
Members: ORENDA WORLD Inc., Amakusa City
Executives: Representative Director: Hirofumi Shibuya (Representative Director of ORENDA WORLD Inc.)
Director: Shoji Baba (Mayor of Amakusa City)
Auditor: Hironori Ota (Branch Manager, Amakusa Shinkin Bank) *External
Business Activities: Digital art talent development, corporate attraction, creator attraction, CG/design production outsourcing, etc.
【ORENDA WORLD Inc.】
With a vision to "deliver inspiring and heartwarming experiences using design and technology," ORENDA WORLD provides solutions that solve social issues by leveraging game development technologies.
The company is actively engaged in utilizing voice synthesis technology for digital humans and metaverse content, in collaboration with the computer graphics and video fields.
Company Name: ORENDA WORLD Inc.
Established: July 15, 2015
Location: SI Building Aoyama, 1-3-6 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0061
URL: https://orenda.co.jp
Representative: Hirofumi Shibuya, Representative Director
Business Activities: AI Solution Business, Design Development Business, Regional Revitalization Business
Amakusa Studio: 956-13 Hirose, Hondo-machi, Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture
ORENDA WORLD Inc. Press Release List
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/searchrlp/company_id/101
This selection was announced on March 19, Reiwa 8 (2026), at the "6th Cool Japan Strategy Council" held by the Cabinet Office. It is part of the first phase of hubs, with 23 locations nationwide chosen out of a target of approximately 200 by 2033. Amakusa City's initiative was selected as one of only seven "Content Industry Promotion Type" projects nationwide, aiming to create content industry and employment from scratch in a local area, receiving high commendation for its advanced nature.
■ Key Features of This Project
- A strategy to implement new industries in the region through the cultivation of digital creators and the aggregation of companies.
- Highly effective "industry-government-academia collaboration" for human resource development, including CG education at Kumamoto Prefectural Amakusa Technical High School.
- Eight content-related companies have advanced into the city, promoting the "establishment of a sustainable economic zone" where young people can earn income while staying in local areas by leveraging technology.
■ Background and Initiatives to Date
ORENDA WORLD entered Amakusa City in February Reiwa 5 (2023), which led to the joint establishment of "Digital Art Amakusa" with the city in July of the same year. This association, with Representative Director Hirofumi Shibuya also serving as its Representative Director, aims to "localize" the digital content industry, such as games, anime, and video, to address the regional issue of youth outflow.
To date, they have provided technical guidance by active creators at Amakusa Technical High School and implemented creator attraction measures to brand the entire island as a "studio conducive to production." These activities have garnered nationwide attention, including being featured in video teaching materials introducing industry-academia collaboration examples in specialized high schools by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.
■ Comment from Hirofumi Shibuya, Representative Director of ORENDA WORLD Inc. (and Representative Director of Digital Art Amakusa)
"I am confident that this selection by the Cabinet Office is a result of our challenge, pursued together with Amakusa City, to 'make local areas centers for content production,' being recognized as a crucial national policy hub. Our goal is to implement a 'self-sustaining industrial structure' where technology is learned, works are created, and employment is generated, rather than relying on specific single productions. This is the essence of ORENDA WORLD's vision of AI x Regional Revitalization. We will continue to combine Amakusa's rich natural environment with cutting-edge technology to disseminate a new model of local areas where creators can thrive, to the world."
■ Future Outlook
Leveraging this selection, ORENDA WORLD will further strengthen cooperation with the Cabinet Office and related ministries, accelerating the establishment of the "Digital Art Island" brand by 2033. Through the digitalization of regional assets and further development of production environments, we aim to build an ecosystem where domestic and international creators gather, and digital content continuously originates from Amakusa to the world.
【General Incorporated Association Digital Art Amakusa】
Established: July 10, 2023
Location: 3-17 Chuo Shinmachi, Amakusa City, 863-0023
URL: https://www.digi-ama.com/
Members: ORENDA WORLD Inc., Amakusa City
Executives: Representative Director: Hirofumi Shibuya (Representative Director of ORENDA WORLD Inc.)
Director: Shoji Baba (Mayor of Amakusa City)
Auditor: Hironori Ota (Branch Manager, Amakusa Shinkin Bank) *External
Business Activities: Digital art talent development, corporate attraction, creator attraction, CG/design production outsourcing, etc.
【ORENDA WORLD Inc.】
With a vision to "deliver inspiring and heartwarming experiences using design and technology," ORENDA WORLD provides solutions that solve social issues by leveraging game development technologies.
The company is actively engaged in utilizing voice synthesis technology for digital humans and metaverse content, in collaboration with the computer graphics and video fields.
Company Name: ORENDA WORLD Inc.
Established: July 15, 2015
Location: SI Building Aoyama, 1-3-6 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0061
URL: https://orenda.co.jp
Representative: Hirofumi Shibuya, Representative Director
Business Activities: AI Solution Business, Design Development Business, Regional Revitalization Business
Amakusa Studio: 956-13 Hirose, Hondo-machi, Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture
ORENDA WORLD Inc. Press Release List
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/searchrlp/company_id/101