Community Impact in Action

Under a collaboration between Kagoshima Sougo Shinyoukinko and the Keio Research Institute at SFC, Professor Masatoshi Tamamura of the Faculty of Policy Management and his research group are cooperating with the establishment of Kagoshima Sougo Shinyoukinko's "soshin regional revitalization research center," and are carrying out research and development on regional revitalization within Kagoshima Prefecture. Since AY 2019 and on an ongoing basis, Keio has hosted graduate students and senior researchers from the Keio SFC Research Institute who have been residing in Kagoshima Prefecture to work on projects such as “Research and Development of Evaluation Framework for Regional Revitalization Programs by Regional Cooperative Financial Institutions” and “Implementation of Loan System by Cooperative Financial Institutions for Local SMEs to Support Community Development.”

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In Nagashima Town (Kagoshima Prefecture), research and development, etc., related to regional revitalization has been underway since 2015 with Professor Masatoshi Tamamura of the Faculty of Policy Management and his research group at the core. Furthermore, Nagashima Town and SFC concluded an agreement in 2017, and a total of 4 graduate students and researchers at the Keio Research Institute at SFC have been conducting research and development while living in Nagashima Town. Keio has been supporting in an advisory capacity as “Nagashima Town Regional Revitalization Advisor” and assisted in the development and promotion of projects such as “Buri Scholarship Program” and formulation of the Comprehensive Strategy.

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Osaki Town (Kagoshima Prefecture), Higashikawa Town (Hokkaido), and the Keio Research Institute at SFC concluded an agreement in November 2018, and have been promoting research and development of the "recycling international students project" to nurture the future of Japan and the world.With the advice and support of the Keio SFC Research Institute, programs are being carried out in collaboration with staff from Higashikawa Town and Osaki Town by leveraging past experiences and results. Keio co-created the “Higashikawa Style” with Higashikawa Town, known as the cultural capital of photography in Japan. The first public Japanese language school in Japan was also established in Higashikawa, accepting many international students from all over the world. With the combined efforts of Osaki Town residents and local government staff, the town has achieved the highest recycling rate in Japan for the 15th time through thorough separation of trash and without resorting to incineration.

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Osaki Town (Kagoshima Prefecture), Kagoshima Sougo Shinyoukinko, and the Keio Research Institute at SFC concluded an agreement in 2018, and under this collaboration, Professor Masatoshi Tamamura of the Faculty of Policy Management and his research group had 2 graduate students living in Osaki Town from 2019 to 2020 who were carrying out research activities on "a study on citizens' organizations and governmental approaches to community-based recycling systems" and "building a jointly developed sales promotion model in the production industry that encourages voluntary cooperation among consumers" as well as working to build a model for policies to create a sustainable community.

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