Information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the press announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.
October 15, 2018
Launching a project under the theme of
"connecting with the community" with Kokubunji residents
![[image]Image of the fun app for residents to participate in community activities](181015a.jpg)
Image of the fun app for residents to participate in community activities
Tokyo, October 15, 2018 --- Kokubunji City ("the City") and Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) Research & Development Group ("Hitachi") today signed a comprehensive partnership agreement ("Agreement") to invigorate the local community through innovation creation. Based on the Agreement, both parties have launched a project under the theme "connecting the community" to explore future societal systems that support the sustainable development of local communities with technology, design and resident participation.
In 2017, the City drafted a comprehensive plan, "Kokubunji City Comprehensive Vision,"*1 and is executing initiatives in many areas such as community invigoration, welfare, and environment, to realize this Vision. At the same time, to accelerate innovation to resolve challenges in society, Hitachi will be opening a new research facility*2 in March 2019 under the concept of "Collaboration Forest" within its Central Research Laboratory located in Kokubunji. Through this new partnership, the City and Hitachi, with the cooperation of residents, will address the development of a human-centric city to raise the quality of life (QOL) for residents and resolve challenges in the community. The overview of the project and areas for collaboration defined under this agreement, are as follows:
As one initiative under this agreement, Hitachi will launch a new project with residents under the theme of "local connection" at the "Kokubunji City cocobunji Plaza" ("cocobunji Plaza") located on the 5th floor of the "cocobunji WEST" building adjunct to the Kokubunji railway station. The project which will be carried out with the cooperation of local famers participating in the "KOKU VEGE" Project*3 promoting "locally produced, locally consumed" and local eateries, will develop a system to enable residents to select vegetables from cocobunji Plaza to take to selected eateries where the vegetables can be prepared and consumed. The residents will be able to participate in this activity to support "locally produced, locally consumed" using an app that utilizes blockchain technology*4, to enjoy KOKU VEGE and deepen their connection with Kokubunji. (To be implemented in the latter half of November 2018)
Hitachi will contribute to the formation of "connections" between residents and QOL improvement by designing systems that will allow residents to enjoy participating in community activities, and support these with digital technology.
The City and Hitachi will collaborate with regional business and nearby universities such as the Musashino Art University, to engage in various projects to explore various mechanism to form "community connections" which will become the basis of future societal systems.
"I am very happy with this opportunity to work with the Research & Development Group of Hitachi, Ltd. through this Agreement. We hope that the City, residents and local businesses will work together as one in an "all Kokubunji" effort in this collaboration to make Kokubunji an even more attractive city, and to resolve regional challenges as part of efforts to shape a sustainable city for the future."
"I am delighted to sign this Agreement with Kokubunji City. The Central Research Laboratory of Hitachi, Ltd. was established in Kokubunji in 1942. Since then, we have developed numerous technologies at this laboratory. We look forward to working with the residents of Kokubunji City to contribute to the creation of social innovation that will realize a sustainable city for the future through Hitachi's cutting-edge technology and Vision Design."
Kokubunji City, located virtually in the center of the Metropolis of Tokyo, with a total population reaching over 120,000 residents, covers a total area of 11.46 km2, extending 5.68 km from the east to west and 3.86 km from the north to south. The City has been developing as a residential area in the outskirts of the capital, and is a cultural city with lush greenery and waterways. Most of the city is situated on the Musashino Plateau. At the southern edge of the plateau, the Kokubunji Cliff Line (Kokubunji Gaisen, Hake) creates a steep and sudden drop in the terrain, and abundant waterfalls pour into the Nogawa River from various. The City is also blessed with many precious cultural properties with a long history. One cultural landmark is the the ruins of the Musashi Kokubunji Temple. In 741 A.D., a decree was passed by Emperor Shomu for the construction of temples throughout Japan to pray for the peace and prosperity of the country. Kokubunji takes its name from this temple.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer society's challenges, combining its operational technology, information technology, and products/systems. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal 2017 (ended March 31, 2018) totaled 9,368.6 billion yen ($88.4 billion). The Hitachi Group is an innovation partner for the IoT era, and it has approximately 307,000 employees worldwide. Through collaborative creation with customers, Hitachi is deploying Social Innovation Business using digital technologies in a broad range of sectors, including Power/Energy, Industry/Distribution/Water, Urban Development, and Finance/Social Infrastructure/Healthcare. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
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