Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Project: "Dual-Area Living Leading Project Implementation Business" Adopted in Kawajima Town, Saitama Prefecture

Persol Tempstaff Co., Ltd. (President: Kazunari Kimura, hereinafter Persol Tempstaff), together with Regional Design Lab Saitama Co., Ltd. (President: Takafumi Sonoda, hereinafter Labo Tama) of Resona Group as the representative, Kawajima Town, Saitama Prefecture (Mayor: Takashi Fujima), Persol Business Process Design Co., Ltd. (President: Kazuyuki Ichimura), and Rebase Co., Ltd. (Representative Director: Kai Sato), has formed the "Kawajima Town Dual-Area Living Policy Promotion Consortium" to conduct research and demonstration projects for dual-area living policies. This initiative has been adopted as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "Dual-Area Living Leading Project Implementation Business*1 (FY2025 Supplementary Budget)." *1: A project where the national government supports pioneering dual-area living initiatives by local governments and private businesses, aiming to build models that can be rolled out nationwide. ■ Overview of the Initiative In recent years, interest in "dual-area living" has been growing, driven by the spread of telework and increasing interest in diverse work styles. However, many "potential residents" who are interested in dual-area living have not yet put it into practice due to reasons such as "difficulty balancing with work," "unable to visualize practical implementation," or "concerns about costs and living aspects." Kawajima Town, Saitama Prefecture, is located near the city center and boasts excellent access to the Ken-O Expressway, making it highly compatible with dual-area living that relies on car travel. In this project, leveraging these regional characteristics, the aim is to accurately grasp the needs of potential residents to expand the base of dual-area living, and to build a model that integrates "work (livelihood)," "housing," and a "public-private partnership system." The focus is on creating mechanisms that allow continuous engagement with the region through work, rather than just temporary stays, with the goal of normalizing dual-area living as a "feasible work style and lifestyle" rather than a "special option." 【Project Details】 (1) Survey of potential dual-area residents' needs and effective approach methods Conduct a survey utilizing the network of financial institutions and comprehensive human resource service groups to understand the needs of potential residents interested in dual-area living but not yet practicing it, as well as effective information content and dissemination methods. Identify practical challenges and cost burden needs, such as transportation costs, accommodation expenses, and internet environment for dual-area residents, and verify support methods. (2) Creation of "work (livelihood)" opportunities based on regional issues Organize challenges faced by local governments, regional companies, and businesses, and materialize them as work/projects in which dual-area residents can participate in a side-job capacity. This will create opportunities for dual-area residents to engage with the region and lead to the retention of a 'related population.' (3) Survey on the utilization of housing for dual-area residents Investigate the possibility of utilizing vacant houses, company dormitories, and public housing as accommodation bases for dual-area residents. Additionally, verify their use as co-working spaces through rental space conversion, as places for dual-area residents to create side businesses, and for disaster preparedness. ■ Roles of Consortium Members Company Name | Role ---|--- Regional Design Lab Saitama (Consortium Representative Company) | Overall consortium operation, including building public-private partnerships, policy organization and adjustment for this project in each phase, housing utilization, and monitor demonstration. Kawajima Town | Promotion of specific residence promotion plans, various adjustments in the region. Persol Tempstaff | Survey and matching services for regional companies in turning town issues into work. Persol Business Process Design | Data survey and visualization of potential residents' needs, journey and plan formulation for dual-area living needs, consideration of dual-area living policies from a tourism perspective. Rebase | Investigation and verification of developing accommodation bases for dual-area residents and creating co-working/side businesses through rental space conversion. Through this project, we aim to create new flows of people and economic circulation in Kawajima Town, and build a sustainable regional model. Persol Tempstaff, in particular, will leverage its expertise and network in comprehensive human resource services to organize the business challenges and talent needs of regional companies, structuring them into "work (livelihood)" opportunities that dual-area residents can participate in as side jobs. By doing so, we will contribute to creating mechanisms that develop dual-area living from a mere stay experience into continuous regional engagement through work, aiming to realize our group vision of "Work, and Smile." ■ About Persol Tempstaff Co., Ltd. Persol Tempstaff Co., Ltd. provides human resource services such as temporary staffing, temp-to-perm, and outsourcing. The company changed its name from Tempstaff Co., Ltd. to Persol Tempstaff Co., Ltd. in July 2017. The Persol Group, with its group vision "Work, and Smile.", is committed to leveraging the full strength of the group to promote labor and...