Kobe Myodani Work Lab AOZORA・SUMAile, Ryukoku University, and Kobe City Suma Ward Promote Regional Revitalization through Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration

Persol Business Process Design Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Kazuyuki Ichimura; hereinafter "Persol Business Process Design"), a Persol Group company with the vision of "Work and Smile.", is pleased to announce the implementation of an industry-academia-government collaboration project at Kobe Myodani Work Lab AOZORA・SUMAile, which combines a job-sharing center* with a regional revitalization hub, in collaboration with Ryukoku University (President: Nobutoshi Shimizu) and Kobe City Suma Ward (Ward Mayor: Keiji Iwaki). This project, initiated in April 2025, aimed to foster "civic pride" among residents of Suma Ward and the Myodani area, encouraging their affection and pride for their own residential area, with students taking the lead.

*An office space where individuals whose working hours are limited due to childcare, nursing care, or other circumstances can work close to home without commuting to the city center.

■ Background and Purpose of Collaboration

Through the operation of the job-sharing center AOZORA・SUMAile, Persol Business Process Design has created approximately 1,000 jobs, primarily in the Suma Ward and Myodani area. Concurrently, we have been working to create regional value by organizing various community exchange events such as seminars and festivals. As a company with an office in the Myodani area, we explored how to connect "work" with "regional revitalization." This led to the idea of creating opportunities for students to take the lead in thinking about and implementing regional revitalization, and in the process, to familiarize themselves with "work" and understand it, thereby fostering human resources who can thrive in society in the future. Associate Professor Megumi Okada of the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business, Ryukoku University, and Kobe City Suma Ward endorsed this initiative, leading to the implementation of this industry-academia-government collaboration project.

■ Division of Roles in Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration

Ryukoku University: Fieldwork, project planning, and execution leading to civic pride fostering.

Kobe City Suma Ward: Advice on public infrastructure, support for event organization.

Persol Business Process Design: Advice on event planning progress and career development.

■ Initiatives

In this collaboration, 14 students from Associate Professor Okada's seminar at Ryukoku University were provided with an opportunity to interact with government, local communities, and companies before entering society. The theme was "fostering regional pride (civic pride)," where they learned about regional issues and worked to solve them through "collaboration," thereby reflecting on their work methods and career paths.

Students walked through the Myodani area, identified their observations, and pinpointed gaps between statistical data (such as population, household numbers, and age distribution in Kobe City Suma Ward) and the actual appearance of the town, thereby extracting issues. They then devised solutions to these issues, and students took the lead in planning and operating the project.

■ Project Outcomes

Through fieldwork, students identified the "Akamichi" (red road), a residential road paved with red asphalt designed to restrict vehicle traffic and ensure safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists, as a significant feature of Kobe City Suma Ward's Myodani area. Furthermore, students who felt proud of the various festivals held in their hometowns noted the absence of festivals in the new town of Myodani. They concluded that holding a festival, with the "Akamichi" as the venue, would be key to fostering civic pride. Consequently, the "Myodani Akamichi Furusato Festival" was held on Sunday, December 21, 2025. On the day of the event, activities such as food stalls, carnival games, a stamp rally, and a costume contest were organized for the enjoyment of local residents, including children.

Despite the rainy weather on the day, nearly 100 university students, high school students, and local volunteers, primarily from the seminar, cooperated, and approximately 1,000 local residents participated. Participants commented, "It's the first time so many people have gathered in our local area," and "A costume contest on the Akamichi is so interesting!" Children asked, "When is the next festival?" indicating that many people were satisfied with the event.

Students who dedicated themselves to the operation commented, "I learned to challenge difficult things with all my might," and "I was anxious during preparation, but the encouragement from Persol and Suma Ward staff gave me courage." This experience, through working methods and "collaboration" with government, local communities, and companies, also led to the acquisition of management experience in promoting projects as a team.

Persol Business Process Design plans to continue this collaboration. Through this partnership, we will provide more students with opportunities to learn about the importance of regional revitalization and "work," and by producing individuals who can decide their own work and working styles, we aim to realize a world where people "work and smile."

■ Comment from Associate Professor Megumi Okada, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business, Ryukoku University

It was a year where industry, academia, and government worked as one team, and students developed an attachment to the Myodani region. They found value in the "Akamichi," which was an everyday sight, leading to the idea of "transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary." By digging into their own original experiences, they planned the Myodani Akamichi Furusato Festival based on the realization that "festivals foster attachment." Even in heavy rain, many smiles overflowed, becoming a catalyst for fostering civic pride. We will continue to collaborate and build value rooted in the community.

■ Comment from Shohei Hasegawa, Section Chief, Community Collaboration Division, Suma Ward, Kobe City

To revitalize the Myodani area and foster civic pride, industry, academia, and government pooled their wisdom, and a new project, the "Myodani Akamichi Furusato Festival," was launched. Associate Professor Okada of Ryukoku University and Mr. Nakanesone and Mr. Matsuda of Persol Business Process Design led the team, enabling smooth project progress. The three parties will continue to collaborate, aiming for the Myodani area to become an even more desirable place to live and stay.

■ Comment from Nozomu Nakanesone, Section/Unit Manager, West Japan Business Center Section, Third Public Service Department, BPO Second Division, BPO Business Headquarters, Persol Business Process Design Co., Ltd.

As the festival approached, daily meetings fostered dialogue that transcended the positions of industry, government, and academia, creating a strong sense of unity. The experience of collaboratively tackling real-world issues in the region and turning "0" into "1" not only contributed to student growth but also created social value for our company through regional revitalization. I am confident that this initiative was a significant step towards sustainable civic pride fostering.

■ About Persol Business Process Design Co., Ltd. <https://www.persol-bd.co.jp/>

Persol Business Process Design Co., Ltd. provides BPO services tailored to customer needs by combining three strengths—process design capabilities, organizational and human resource management capabilities, and human resource development capabilities—with technologies such as AI. With the mission of "innovating all work and organizations to create a society overflowing with better working environments," we aim to realize the future that organizations aspire to and contribute to creating a society where people can thrive. The Persol Group, with its group vision of "Work and Smile.", contributes to the realization of a sustainable society and the achievement of SDGs through various businesses related to people and organizations.