Well-being community development
Citizen-Private Partnerships to Create Activism and Attachment to the Town

As part of NOMURA Co., Ltd. 's "SOCIAL GOOD WEEK 2022", the "Well-being Seminar" was held for two days on November 10th (Thursday) and 11th (Friday) under the theme of "Well-being town development". On the second day, we will focus on case studies of public-private partnership projects that are currently being carried out in Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido, facing the Sea of Okhotsk.

Mr. Hiroyuki Ishimaru, Manager of the Planning and Finance Division, Koshimizu Town, and Renaissance Co., Ltd.'s Regional Revitalization Promotion Department discuss the unique and groundbreaking efforts being carried out in a small town with a population of 4,543* with the aim of revitalizing communities and regional ties. Mr. Shigekazu Fujimori of Nomura Co., Ltd., and Mr. Ryuta Ohashi, a planner of NOMURA Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd., introduced and discussed the process of working to create a well-being community by making use of local resources and the power of private companies, and the secrets of public-private partnerships. . (NOMURA Co., Ltd. is providing space creation and operational support for this project. Click here for details.)
* As of November 1, 2022, from the Koshimizu Town website

​Click here for the well-being seminar day 1 report

What is well-being?
Well-being is a term that refers to a state of physical, mental, and social health and satisfaction. In Japanese, it is translated as "happiness," "health," and "well-being," and represents a state of good mental, physical, and social life. This concept differs from temporary happiness ("happiness" in English) and has nuances that include a sense of long-term happiness. This word originates from the 16th century Italian word "benessere". The World Health Organization (WHO) Charter* defines well-being in the preamble that explains what health is.

*Preamble to the Charter of the World Health Organization (tentative translation by the Japan WHO Association)
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
"Health does not mean not being sick or weak, but rather being in a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being."

Well-being town development
Community space and town development fostered with local residents

A public-private partnership project started in Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido, a town in Okhotsk with a population of approximately 4,500 people.

Koshimizu-cho, Hokkaido is a small town located on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, between Shari-cho, where the Shiretoko Peninsula is located, and Abashiri-shi. The town's main industry is agriculture, mainly producing potatoes, wheat and beets. Community spaces, fitness spaces, laundromats, cafés and government buildings where townspeople can spend their daily lives in comfort are attracting attention as an initiative for regional development through very advanced public-private partnerships that is currently being carried out in this small town. This is the construction of Koshimizu Town's disaster prevention base type complex new government building "Watashino". Why is there a fitness club and laundromat inside the government building? There were considerations to realize a healthy life for the townspeople and to serve as an evacuation center in the event of a disaster. Mr. Ishimaru of the Koshimizu town hall says, "There is a word called scale merit. Larger ones are considered to be more efficient and advantageous, but I think there are also scale merits of being small."

The government takes on the challenge of regional development from the same perspective as private companies

“It started in 2018 with the town mayor’s pledge to revitalize the community and revitalize the bonds of the community,” says Ishimaru. To date, we have opened a directly managed store in collaboration with the outdoor goods brand Montbell in the Koshimizu Tourist Center, which was built using the Regional Revitalization Base Development Subsidy. The local government has taken proactive steps to create public-private partnerships, such as approaching Seicomart, which is in the area, and realizing the opening of a store in Koshimizu-cho.

Koshimizu Town Disaster Prevention Base Complex Government Building

Potential of “Watashino”, a new disaster prevention hub type government building in Koshimizu Town

In the new government building construction project, Renaissance Co., Ltd., a company that operates fitness clubs and sports gyms that are focusing on regional revitalization projects through banks, and OKULAB, which is developing a laundry business from Renaissance Co., Ltd., and space creation. In order to build and operate the new government building, we are reorganizing the NPO NOMURA Co., Ltd. * and creating a group that can incorporate opinions from a variety of perspectives. “I think there are many people who have a negative impression of relying on others, but in Koshimizu Town, I don’t think it is negative at all,” says Mr. Ishimaru. We are promoting regional development by incorporating the voices of townspeople.

*Groundwork Koshimizu, an NPO formed by Koshimizu Town, Koshimizu Town Chamber of Commerce, Renaissance Co., Ltd., and OKULAB Co., Ltd.

If you would like to watch the archived video of Mr. Ishimaru's lecture, please apply here.

Koshimizu Town's Public-Private Partnership Project Becomes a Model for Small Local Governments Nationwide

Mr. Fujimori of Renaissance, which is an important partner of public-private partnership in Koshimizu Town, said, "I think there is a possibility that the health promotion know-how cultivated in the fitness club business can be spread nationwide. I am taking on the challenge of this project because I believe that if we can solve the problems of local governments, we will be able to solve problems in various regions throughout the country.”

In the latter half of the cross-talk, we were able to hear various hints from the three people who were actually involved in the project, such as tips for the government to attract private companies and how to start public-private partnership projects. Mr. Ishimaru says, "The basis of Koshimizu Town administration is to create a town that is good to live in and one that people want to live in. There are currently 1,718 local governments* in Japan. Of these, 885 are designated as depopulated areas. I believe that Koshimizu Town's efforts will be a model that can be applied to 885 municipalities nationwide.The new government building will be completed in May next year (2023). It will be completed. I hope that local governments and companies all over the country will come and see what we have achieved in a town with a population of about 4,500."

*From the National Federation of Depopulated Areas “Number, Population and Area of Depopulated Municipalities (as of April 1, 2022)”
https://tinyurl.com/2lx3ym8f

In the seminar, various topics such as the background and process of this public-private partnership project, tips for public-private partnership, etc. are taken up with inside stories. Please take a look at the archive footage.

If you would like to watch the crosstalk archive video, please apply here.

AFTER TALK ———
after crosstalk

In addition to the three speakers who finished the cross-talk, Ms. Futami Reinu (left) of OKULAB, who is in charge of planning the laundry and cafe of the new government building, and the project leader of the Koshimizu-cho new government building bustling support project of Nomura NOMURA Co., Ltd.. Shunsuke Hashimoto (right) participated in the seminar and talked about his impressions of the seminar and what he could not talk about.

The motivation of the government moved the private sector

Ishimaru
I often get opportunities to give lectures, but this time I was nervous when I heard that it would be delivered online.

Fujimori
It was difficult to tell you about the facility that is not yet completed. I'll be able to tell you more about it once it's finished. However, this project is being carried out very carefully, and the government and the private sector are working together.

Ohashi
I didn't mention it in the seminar, but the mayor and deputy mayor always attend meetings. I think that's a big point.

Ishimaru
It is the mayor who makes the final decision. Our mayor listens well to what everyone has to say.

reigo
In the case of a private company, it is always a matter of income and expenditure and how to recover the money. In the case of towns, the will to “do” is more important than that, and I learned a lot from that.

Ohashi
Administrative work tends to be cut off in the middle of the contract because it is a single-year contract. I would like to work with everyone to revitalize the facility even after the opening so that the discontinuation of the contract will not be a discontinuity of the relationship.

great value for the future

Fujimori
It must have taken some time for your company to gain the understanding of each company before participating in this project. I felt we were together.

Ohashi
At OKULAB, did you have any objections within the company when proceeding with this project?

reigo
There was no opposition, but it was costly and risky. But what I'm glad I got involved with was that it gave meaning to our service. Coin laundry is nothing but a coin laundry in the city, but by participating in this project, I was able to add the meaning of contributing to the community and that it was phase-free. I think it's worth it.

Koshimizu Town's new government building "Watashino" is a lively space in the town that also serves as a disaster prevention base

Ishimaru
The new government building has a long name of a disaster prevention base type compound government building, but it is a facility where if something happens, "Everyone in the town, please take refuge here!" Koshimizu-cho has hot springs, so we dug a hot spring for the new government building and installed floor heating using hot spring heat. In the unlikely event that there is a power outage, you can stay warm. Of course, we also have our own power plants. If you are evacuating for a long period of time, you can use the laundromat free of charge for environmental hygiene, and the gym can be used as an evacuation center, and the cafe can be used as a soup kitchen. It truly incorporates the concept of phase-free.

New Government Building Bustling Zone｜Community Space

Ohashi
Aiming to open in May next year, the building is still at the basic stage, and the service is at its peak. I didn't get to touch on it much at the seminar, but I made walls out of Koshimizu's soil, used larch wood from Hokkaido and Mizunara oak, which is also a local tree, and used the light, soil, and wood of Koshimizu as motifs to create a rich natural environment. I'm going to be able to feel it.

Fujimori
Normally, I don't go to the government building unless I have something to do, but the new government building is a place where I can go without a purpose. There is a laundry room, a fitness gym, a cafe, and a place where children can play. That was the idea of the mayor and Mr. Ishimaru.

Hashimoto
Because the bustling space and the government office are adjacent. The staff of the town hall can come out to the community space and interact with the townspeople casually. The concept is not a dichotomy of public and private, but a space that mixes them, and I think that's a fairly new concept.

Fujimori
It is important that the top management has a strong will. The staff are really nice too. It's like there are no boundaries...

Ishimaru
I think that the awareness of the staff has changed because they know that they cannot solve the problem by themselves. That's why Renaissance is also doing projects that didn't exist at the start, such as health promotion through sports. Everyone is working with a sense of speed that can only be achieved on a small scale.

For the development of a well-being town
Town development that makes you feel glad to live in this town

Ishimaru
Actually, at first, I had an image that the nickname of the new government building was not "Watashino" but "Minnano". However, when I heard from Mr. Ohashi that he thought that it was a place where not only the townspeople but also the employees belonged to each person, I really wanted that to happen.

There will also be a café in the new government building, and I think it would be nice for people to come there and take a rest, even if they don't order coffee separately. There is a hospital next to the new government building, so you can use it instead of the hospital waiting room. I don't have anything to do at the town hall, but I would like to embody the fact that I want to come here.

Naming and logo proposed and designed by NOMURA Co., Ltd.

Thoughts behind the name of Koshimizu Town’s new government building “Watashino”

Ohashi
The idea of "Minnano" was also a candidate, but "Minnano" feels like it doesn't belong to anyone, and it feels like it's someone else's problem and lacks independence. The concept of "Watashino" also includes the implication that administrative personnel should also regard it as their own community space and as their own goto. Right now, the awareness of the people at the town hall is changing, and with the opening of the new town hall, townspeople will be able to come, and I think that "Watashino" will truly be embodied.

Ishimaru
Currently, migration and settlement measures are being taken in every region, but I think it is really difficult to move and settle in a country where the population is declining. So, first of all, we will create a town where the townspeople of Koshimizu-cho feel that they are glad to live in this town. We hope that this will lead to community development that will make people in nearby cities and towns and all over the country want to live in Koshimizu. If today's seminar arouses even a little interest, I would like you to come to Koshimizu-cho after May next year.

Hashimoto
Since it is basically a government facility, we are creating a facility that has never existed before, so I think that the people of Koshimizu-cho will have various birth pains, but when it is completed, it will be a facility that will please the townspeople. think. Not only that, but I think it's a facility that can send various messages outside the town. I would like governments and companies in various parts of Japan to know about this case, and I would like you to actually see it and use it as a reference. I would like to customize this Koshimizu model and utilize it in each local government.

If you would like to watch the crosstalk archive video, please apply here.
If you apply for the archived video, you can view the entire seminar video and download the slides.

<Profile of seminar speakers>
Hiroyuki Ishimaru
Planning and Finance Division Manager, Koshimizu Town, Hokkaido. Completed Graduate School of Public Policy, Hokkaido University (Master of Public Policy). After joining the Koshimizu town office, he was in charge of the planning and finance department for 17 years. Attracting numerous private companies to Koshimizu Town and playing a central role in public-private partnerships aimed at revitalizing the town. As a Hokkaido University graduate school researcher, he has given many lectures on themes such as research and practice of new public management and public-private partnership methods.

Shigekazu Fujimori
Renaissance Co., Ltd. Regional Revitalization Promotion Department Regional Revitalization Team Dedicated Manager. Based on the corporate philosophy of "proposing a healthy and comfortable lifestyle to customers as a company that creates purpose in life," we have partnered with NOMURA Co., Ltd., making use of our business know-how in supporting the health promotion of sports clubs and local governments. Under the theme of "health", we are promoting facility development and space activation proposals. In Koshimizu-cho's new government building planning support project, he was engaged in a project to promote a lively space.

Ryuta Ohashi
NOMURA Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd. planner. As a marketing planner at an advertising agency, he was in charge of planning communication strategies between general companies and government agencies. After joining NOMURA Co., Ltd., he worked as an exhibition planner for a cultural facility before shifting his focus to the field of urban development, such as "TOYAMA TOWN TREKKING SITE" (Toyama Prefecture). In recent years, while focusing on the development of public-private partnership projects, he has been involved in the development of large-scale complex facilities in urban areas and urban development plans for local governments.

<Profile of AFTER TALK participants>
Ms. Futami Reigo
OKULAB Co., Ltd. Marketing Senior Manager. Responsible for sales promotion and service development of Baluko Laundry Place, our own coin laundry brand that operates about 190 stores nationwide. In the Koshimizu Town New Government Building Project, I am in charge of planning the laundry and cafe with the aim of creating a space where you can enjoy coffee and local products while doing laundry.

Shunsuke Hashimoto
Sales of NOMURA Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd. Project leader of the Koshimizu Town New Government Building Liveliness Creation Support Project. Joined NOMURA Co., Ltd. Ltd. in 2019. In his previous job at a healthcare company, he was in charge of business development and facility development. After joining NOMURA Co., Ltd., he was in charge of new customer development and business development phases, promoting collaboration with Renaissance and working on healthcare and well-being projects. In cooperation with local communities and companies, we are working to support regional revitalization with a view to long-term operations.