Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation and PR TIMES Conclude Partnership Agreement for Local Corporate PR Support | Broadcasting Okayama's Charm Nationwide

May 28, 2026

Key facts

Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation and PR TIMES Conclude Partnership Agreement for Local Corporate PR Support | Broadcasting Okayama's Charm Nationwide
On May 28, 2026, PR TIMES Corporation concluded a partnership agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation to support the public relations of local companies. Through this agreement, PR TIMES will provide a special program allowing businesses in Okayama supported by the foundation to use the press release distribution service "PR TIMES" for free up to 3 times over 6 months. It will also support the hosting of PR seminars and enhance the foundation's own information dissemination. This marks PR TIMES' 109th regional partnership nationwide.
Source: PR Times
Date: May 28, 2026

Direct answer

On May 28, 2026, PR TIMES Corporation concluded a partnership agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation to support the public relations of local companies. Through this agreement, PR TIMES will provide a special program allowing businesses in Okayama supported by the foundation to use the press release distribution service "PR TIMES" for free up to 3 times over 6 months. It will also support the hosting of PR seminars and enhance the foundation's own information dissemination. This marks PR TIMES' 109th regional partnership nationwide.

Citation: Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation and PR TIMES Conclude Partnership Agreement for Local Corporate PR Support | Broadcasting Okayama's Charm Nationwide (May 28, 2026), PR Times
Source: PR Times
Date: May 28, 2026

On May 28, 2026, PR TIMES Corporation concluded a partnership agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation to support the public relations of local companies. Through this agreement, PR TIMES will provide a special program allowing businesses in Okayama supported by the foundation to use the press release distribution service "PR TIMES" for free up to 3 times over 6 months. It will also support the hosting of PR seminars and enhance the foundation's own information dissemination. This marks PR TIMES' 109th regional partnership nationwide.

businessNQ 49/100出典：PR Times

📋 Article Processing Timeline

📰 Published: May 28, 2026 at 15:30
🔍 Collected: June 1, 2026 at 02:09 (82h 39m after Published)
🤖 AI Analyzed: June 2, 2026 at 07:06 (28h 56m after Collected)

PR TIMES Corporation (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Takumi Yamaguchi, TSE Prime/NSE Premier: 3922) concluded a partnership agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation (Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, President: Seiichi Katayama) on Thursday, May 28, 2026, which went into effect on the same day. Through this partnership, we will support the expansion of recognition through measures such as the free provision of press release distribution and PR seminars for businesses taking on challenges in Okayama Prefecture supported by the foundation, including supporting members, SMEs visiting the Okayama Prefecture Yorozu Support Base and SME Support Center operated by the foundation, and startups tackling regional issues. This is our 7th partnership with a prefectural SME Support Center (*1), following the Fukui Industrial Support Center on May 19, 2026, and our 4th partnership with a company/organization in Okayama Prefecture, following Okayama City in May 2025. (*1) Small and Medium Enterprise Agency "Prefectural SME Support Centers, etc." https://www.chusho.meti.go.jp/soudan/todou_sien.html - Providing a program that allows businesses and organizations supported by the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation to use "PR TIMES" for free - Holding information dissemination seminars themed on PR in Okayama Prefecture - Providing "PR TIMES" for free when the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation disseminates information Creating an environment to deliver challenges in Okayama Prefecture widely to society Okayama Prefecture has a face as one of the Setouchi region's leading manufacturing hubs, home to the Mizushima Industrial Complex. Challenges are being taken on in diverse fields, from key industries such as automobiles, steel, and chemicals, to bearers of traditional crafts like Bizen ware, agriculture represented by white peaches and muscat grapes, and startups, ventures, and food and beverage businesses tackling technology and lifestyle issues. The Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation, headquartered at Techno Support Okayama in Haga, Kita-ku, Okayama City, is the core institution for economic and industrial policy in Okayama Prefecture, covering the entire prefecture including Bizen, Bitchu, and Mimasaka. They have provided seamless support tailored to the stage of the company, from entrepreneurship and startup support to management innovation, business succession, and business restructuring. By adding the option of press releases, which deliver information directly to media and consumers nationwide, to their support content, we will create an environment where even small businesses and startups with limited PR budgets can broadcast their challenges to society. Support content provided: Free provision of press release distribution, PR seminars, and promotion of the foundation's information dissemination Based on this agreement, we will implement the following three measures. 1. Provision of a "Special Program" for businesses introduced by the foundation (conditional free program) We will provide the normally paid press release distribution on PR TIMES for free for a certain period and a certain number of times to target businesses supported and introduced by the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation. Delivering information to media and consumers nationwide will trigger an expansion of recognition. Program Name Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation x PR TIMES Information Dissemination Support Program Content Prefectural businesses meeting certain conditions can use the press release distribution service "PR TIMES" for free up to 3 times for 6 months from any start date. Target Companies (1) Must be a supporting member of the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation or be introduced by the foundation (2) Companies, organizations, and sole proprietors with corporate status (3) Companies, organizations, and sole proprietors with no past record of using the press release distribution service "PR TIMES" (possible if only used through advertising agencies, etc.) (4) Companies, organizations, and sole proprietors that meet the screening and distribution criteria set by PR TIMES and meet separately defined criteria (5) Must apply through the prescribed form dedicated to this program Handling Start Date Thursday, May 28, 2026 Application Method Apply via the dedicated application form provided by the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation 2. Holding "PR Seminars" for businesses To raise the information dissemination capabilities of companies in the prefecture, we will hold seminars on information dissemination such as PR and press releases. We will consider basic content such as "What is PR?", "How to write an effective press release", and "PR thinking utilized in management", as well as practical workshop formats. In the future, we plan to hold seminars themed on PR hosted by PR TIMES in Okayama Prefecture. We will provide opportunities for any company in the Okayama area to participate for free, conveying PR know-how to local companies. Furthermore, a seminar on PR is scheduled to be held at the foundation on July 1. 3. Supporting the enhancement of information dissemination by the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation We will provide "PR TIMES" for free when the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation disseminates information. By broadly disseminating event information, support information, and regional revitalization initiatives, we will provide opportunities for press release distribution that will lead to the branding of the entire Okayama area. We hope that many people will learn about the foundation's initiatives, and that through press release distribution, more spotlight will be shed on the activities of each staff member and person in charge working in the region. Expanding regional partnerships: Regional partnerships reach 109 cases Aiming for information distribution originating from local regions, "PR TIMES" is advancing partnerships with financial institutions, media, and local governments rooted in regions nationwide. With the conclusion of this agreement, the alliances we have formed with local companies and organizations such as local governments for local information distribution have expanded to over 100 cases across all 47 prefectures nationwide (a total of 109 cases: 43 local financial institutions (35 banks, 8 shinkin banks), 40 local media companies, and 1 Hokkaido, 1 Fu, 3 prefectures, 14 cities, and 7 agencies of government/local governments). The total number of companies using the partnership programs (including the former special plan) through these regional partnerships has exceeded 4,800, serving as an opportunity for companies and organizations in various industries across all 47 prefectures to utilize them. In addition to providing free press release distribution through partnership programs, as an initiative to boost information dissemination, we are holding study sessions and seminars nationwide to convey everything from the basics of PR to how to utilize press releases, in cooperation with Press Release Evangelists officially recognized by our company. Going forward, through the provision of the "Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation x PR TIMES Information Dissemination Support Program," we will invigorate information distribution originating from businesses in Okayama Prefecture and strive to deliver the results of their actions and the thoughts behind them widely across the country. Comments on the Partnership Mr. Ikuomi Shimizu, Executive Director, Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation We are pleased to announce the conclusion of a partnership agreement with PR TIMES Corporation regarding the dissemination of information related to regional industries. We are deeply grateful to the company for providing such beneficial services. The Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation, as the core and comprehensive industrial support institution of Okayama Prefecture, provides various corporate support such as entrepreneurship, management innovation, securing and developing human resources, equipment introduction, sales channel development, research and development, and business revitalization. Today, as responses to new challenges such as productivity improvement through AI and digitalization, work style reform, and initiatives toward decarbonization are required, strategic PR activities are indispensable for the growth and development of companies, and we are confident that the services for companies provided by PR TIMES Corporation will be of help. Supporting members and companies in the prefecture that are subject to the support systems designated by our foundation will be able to use it as a support tool of our foundation, so we ask that you actively utilize it on this occasion. Yuya Mori, Partner Business Project, 2nd Sales Department, PR TIMES Corporation It is a great honor to have concluded a partnership agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation. Okayama, known as the "Land of Sunshine," is blessed with the mild climate and rich soil of the Setouchi region, and is an area where diverse industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and traditional crafts have sprouted in each era. As society becomes increasingly complex, the forms of challenges are branching out more diversely from key industries to startups, but I feel that the connection of challengers growing up while stimulating each other in the same climate continues in this land today. I believe that a press release is proof of a challenge born after thinking of someone, worrying, and taking action. Each challenge repeated in Okayama will reach consumers nationwide along with the thoughts behind it. As a member added to the foundation's circle of partnerships, we will do our utmost to support this. Mizuki Soejima, Press Release Evangelist Secretariat (Jooto Division), PR TIMES Corporation I am truly delighted with the conclusion of the partnership agreement with the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation. The Press Release Evangelists welcomed 45 new members in the fourth term in October 2025, expanding their activity bases to all 47 prefectures nationwide with a total of 102 members. To deliver the "democratization of PR" nationwide, we want to increase the places where evangelists can be active in the regions. With this thought, we have repeatedly engaged in dialogue with everyone at Yorozu Support Bases nationwide, and this connection was made in Okayama. Together with evangelists active in the Chugoku and Shikoku areas, we will create opportunities for each challenge repeated in Okayama to meet society, running alongside the foundation and the Yorozu Support Base. About PR TIMES Corporation PR TIMES (pronounced: PR Times) has set the mission of "Towards an era where information originating from actors shakes people's hearts," and is challenging the realization of a society where positive information from "actors" becomes the center of news, encouraging individuals and making them positive. We believe that a press release is the crystallization of people's actions and hard work, weaving their thoughts and announcing them, and we are developing our business aiming for the democratization of PR, where "actors" can disseminate information themselves regardless of company size. The number of companies using the press release distribution service "PR TIMES" exceeds 124,000, and it is used by over 65% of domestic listed companies. There are over 29,000 media reporters registered as members for information gathering, site access is about 90 million PV per month, the number of press releases is over 46,000 per month, and the cumulative total exceeds 2 million. Content is published on over 260 partner media outlets, including national newspaper websites (as of February 2026). In addition, we support information announcement and its propagation through the story-telling "PR TIMES STORY," the video-telling "PR TIMES TV," the PR partner business that accompanies from the design to execution of PR activities, the art-specialized PR platform "MARPH," and news media businesses such as "STRAIGHT PRESS." We also operate businesses that support "actors" multi-dimensionally, such as the task/project management tool "Jooto" that supports born projects to move forward until announcement, and the customer support tool "Tayori" that facilitates smooth customer response and information organization after announcement. Subsidiaries include THE BRIDGE, Inc., which operates the startup media "BRIDGE," Glucose Inc., which conducts software contract development, and NAVICUS Inc., which supports SNS marketing. PR TIMES Corporation Company Profile Mission: Towards an era where information originating from actors shakes people's hearts Company Name: PR TIMES Corporation (TSE Prime, NSE Premier Securities Code: 3922) Location: Akasaka Intercity 8F, 1-11-44 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo Established: December 2005 Representative Director: Takumi Yamaguchi Business Content: - Operation of press release distribution service "PR TIMES" (https://prtimes.jp/) - Operation of story distribution service "PR TIMES STORY" (https://prtimes.jp/story/) - Implementation of PR support as a partner for clients and media - Operation of video PR service "PR TIMES TV" (https://prtimes.jp/tv) - Operation of art-specialized online PR platform "MARPH" (https://marph.com/) - Operation of customer support tool "Tayori" (https://tayori.com/) - Operation of task/project management tool "Jooto" (https://www.jooto.com/) - Operation of media delivering PR knowledge "PR TIMES MAGAZINE" (https://prtimes.jp/magazine/) - Operation of press release dedicated editor "PR Editor" (https://preditor.prtimes.com/) - Operation of Web news media such as "STRAIGHT PRESS" (https://straightpress.jp/), etc. URL: https://prtimes.co.jp/

FAQ

How can companies in Okayama use PR TIMES for free?

By becoming a supporting member of or being introduced by the Okayama Prefecture Industrial Promotion Foundation and applying through a dedicated form, they can use it for free up to 3 times in 6 months.

What is the background of this partnership?

To create an environment where local small businesses and startups with limited PR budgets can broadcast their challenges nationwide.

What are the key facts in this article?

Back to Newsroom (270)