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. Since AY 2024 under this agreement, Keio has been supporting the establishment and promotion of the “Nagashima Continental Future Creation Institute,” managed by the town of Nagashima in Kagoshima Prefecture, as well as its R&D.

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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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In 2018, the town of Osaki in Kagoshima Prefecture, the Kagoshima Sougo Shinkin Bank, and the SFC Research Institute signed a collaborative agreement. Under this partnership, since AY 2019, Professor Masatoshi Tamamura’s research group from the Faculty of Policy Management has been conducting research while graduate students and SFC researchers reside in Osaki. Their research themes include: a study on community-based recycling systems focusing on citizens’ organizations and governmental approaches; the design and implementation of a co-creation-based sales promotion model in the food industry; and the development and practice of a bamboo recycling model through collaboration among bamboo producers and merchants. All of these efforts aim to build policy models for sustainable community development.

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