Ozu City, Ehime, Spearheads 'Regenerative Future City' Vision: Regional DMO, Hotel, and Financial Leaders Unite to Transform 'Cities at Risk of Disappearing' Nationwide
In Ozu City, a regional DMO, hotels, and financial institutions collaborate to formulate an urban development vision.
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- 📰 Published: March 30, 2026 at 05:11
Value Management Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Director: Atsushi Tarikino; hereinafter, VM), in collaboration with Kita Management General Incorporated Association (Headquarters: Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture; Representative Director: Kozo Takaoka; hereinafter, Kita M), a regional DMO in Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, and Iyo Bank, Ltd. (Headquarters: Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture; President and Representative Director: Kenji Miyoshi; hereinafter, Iyo Bank), has formulated the 'Ozu Future Urban Development Concept,' a 'next-generation local urban development vision' targeting Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture. We are pleased to announce the joint launch of the 'OZU 555 PROJECT' (hereinafter, this project), a concrete action based on this initiative, by the three parties.
This project accepts the 'natural decrease' due to the declining birthrate, aging population, and population decline in the region as a structural and irreversible phenomenon, and aims for a 'social increase.' In Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, the project intends to not only expand the 'exchange population' represented by tourists, but also to create an overwhelming number of 'related population' individuals who will commit to Ozu as co-creation partners, connecting urban knowledge and capital to solve local issues.
By promoting this project, we aim to become a leader in regional revitalization 2.0, solving the common challenge of 'cities at risk of disappearing' that Japanese local cities face, through a regenerative approach.
■ Background of This Project
Ehime/Ozu as a 'Microcosm' of the Crisis Faced by Two-Thirds of All Municipalities
Currently, 1,148 municipalities, accounting for 65.7% of all municipalities in Japan※1, have populations below 50,000 and are facing the risk of urban collapse where maintaining urban functions is difficult. Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, is considered a 'city at risk of disappearing,' with its population steadily declining to approximately 38,000 (as of August 2025) and projected to plummet to approximately 16,000 by 2060※2.
Until now, in Ozu City, the three parties—Kita M, VM, and Iyo Bank—have collaborated to develop and operate initiatives such as 'Ozu Castle Castle Stay,' Japan's first castle lodging utilizing Ozu Castle, a cultural property symbolizing the town's regional resources, and the 'NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Jokamachi' project, which preserves and restores historical buildings remaining in the castle town and regenerates them as dispersed hotels. These initiatives have led to results such as job creation and urban revitalization, stemming from the preservation of regional culture. In 2023, the city garnered global recognition and interest in 'Urban Development 1.0 (regional revitalization through tourism),' including ranking first worldwide in the 'Culture & Tradition category' among the 'Top 100 Sustainable Destinations in the World' by the international certification body 'Green Destinations'.
At the same time, we faced the reality that the challenges of population decline and 'cities at risk of disappearing' faced by Japan as a whole cannot be solved solely through tourism promotion.
This project accepts the 'natural decrease' due to the declining birthrate, aging population, and population decline in the region as a structural and irreversible phenomenon, and aims for a 'social increase.' In Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, the project intends to not only expand the 'exchange population' represented by tourists, but also to create an overwhelming number of 'related population' individuals who will commit to Ozu as co-creation partners, connecting urban knowledge and capital to solve local issues.
By promoting this project, we aim to become a leader in regional revitalization 2.0, solving the common challenge of 'cities at risk of disappearing' that Japanese local cities face, through a regenerative approach.
■ Background of This Project
Ehime/Ozu as a 'Microcosm' of the Crisis Faced by Two-Thirds of All Municipalities
Currently, 1,148 municipalities, accounting for 65.7% of all municipalities in Japan※1, have populations below 50,000 and are facing the risk of urban collapse where maintaining urban functions is difficult. Ozu City, Ehime Prefecture, is considered a 'city at risk of disappearing,' with its population steadily declining to approximately 38,000 (as of August 2025) and projected to plummet to approximately 16,000 by 2060※2.
Until now, in Ozu City, the three parties—Kita M, VM, and Iyo Bank—have collaborated to develop and operate initiatives such as 'Ozu Castle Castle Stay,' Japan's first castle lodging utilizing Ozu Castle, a cultural property symbolizing the town's regional resources, and the 'NIPPONIA HOTEL Ozu Jokamachi' project, which preserves and restores historical buildings remaining in the castle town and regenerates them as dispersed hotels. These initiatives have led to results such as job creation and urban revitalization, stemming from the preservation of regional culture. In 2023, the city garnered global recognition and interest in 'Urban Development 1.0 (regional revitalization through tourism),' including ranking first worldwide in the 'Culture & Tradition category' among the 'Top 100 Sustainable Destinations in the World' by the international certification body 'Green Destinations'.
At the same time, we faced the reality that the challenges of population decline and 'cities at risk of disappearing' faced by Japan as a whole cannot be solved solely through tourism promotion.