Miraie Works to Alleviate Regional Disparities and Talent Shortages in Hiroshima's Mountainous Areas; Fourth Consecutive Year Awarded 'External Talent Utilization Support Project'

Miraie Works Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shoji Okamoto; hereinafter "the Company") announces that it has been entrusted for the fourth consecutive year with the "Planning and Operation of External Talent Utilization Support in Mountainous Areas of Hiroshima Prefecture" (hereinafter "this project") by Hiroshima Prefecture (Governor: Mika Yokota). This year, the Company will continue to collaborate with Hiroshima Prefecture to promote matching between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in mountainous areas and professional talent from urban areas, supporting solutions to management challenges and ventures into new fields, with the goal of revitalizing regional industries and increasing relational population (*1).

Background and Objectives: Regional Disparities with Seto Inland Sea Plains and Youth Population Outflow

Across Japan, severe regional disparities are widening between major metropolitan areas and rural, especially mountainous, regions. Population decline, aging, and changes in industrial structure are combining to challenge many local governments in revitalizing regional economies and maintaining sustainable societies. Hiroshima Prefecture, a leading economic force in the Chugoku region, is no exception. Compared to the plains along the Seto Inland Sea, its mountainous and remote island areas—collectively known as the mountainous regions—continue to experience outflow of young people, exacerbating various regional challenges.

Hiroshima Prefecture designates its mountainous regions as "areas possessing unique charm and richness distinct from urban centers, worthy of preservation for future generations," and is promoting regional revitalization through three pillars: human resource development, job creation, and improvement of living environments (*2). To support SMEs in these mountainous areas facing challenges such as talent shortages, the Company has partnered since fiscal years 2020–21 and from fiscal year 2023 onward, utilizing its side-job matching service 'Skill Shift' (https://www.skill-shift.com/) (*3).

Approach to Problem Solving: Support and System Building for Utilizing External Professional Talent

Through this collaboration, the Company promotes and provides hands-on support for matching SMEs in mountainous areas with professional talent from urban areas. This year, it will further conduct study sessions targeting regional economic organizations to help establish systems enabling staff to actively propose external talent utilization.

Through this project, the Company will provide hands-on support to SMEs and support to regional economic organizations, contributing to the revitalization of regional industries and growth of relational population in Hiroshima's mountainous areas.

▼ Project Activities

・ Planning and operation of seminars for SMEs across the prefecture

・ Hands-on support for practical utilization of external talent by companies

・ Creation of promotional materials

・ Hosting study sessions for regional economic organizations

・ Support for regional economic organizations in their external talent utilization initiatives

・ Evaluation of the effectiveness of the external talent utilization support project

▼ Target Mountainous Areas (14 cities, 5 towns)

・ Entirely mountainous areas

Fukuyama City, Miyoshi City, Shobara City, Akitakata City, Etajima City, Akitakata Town, Kitahiroshima Town, Oshakajima Town, Sera Town, Kamijima Kogen Town

・ Partially mountainous areas

Hiroshima City, Kure City, Takehara City, Mihara City, Onomichi City, Fukuyama City, Otake City, Higashihiroshima City, Hatsukaichi City

Previous Year's Achievements: Case of Quadrupled Sales through Utilization of Professional Side-job Talent

・ Ripica Co., Ltd.

✧ Job posting page: https://www.skill-shift.com/jobs/10867

✧ Case study interview: https://note.com/skillshift/n/n13af592b1124

Ripica, an automotive products manufacturer based in Miyoshi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, hired a professional side-job talent to resolve a decade-long shortage of e-commerce specialists. By revamping product pages and other measures, the company achieved a fourfold increase in e-commerce sales within three months. Moreover, exposure to professional expertise empowered in-house staff to make proactive proposals, contributing to internal cultural transformation.

*1 Relational population refers to people who maintain diverse connections with a region, neither as permanent residents (settled population) nor as tourists (exchange population). They are expected to contribute continuously to regional development in various ways. The Japanese government views the creation of relational population as a key to regional revitalization.

*2 Hiroshima Prefecture Mountainous Area Revitalization Ordinance and Plan

https://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/site/chuusankanchiikishinkoujourei/

*3 Press releases from Miraie Works regarding project promotion

Fiscal Year 2020 "Support Project for Utilizing External Talent in Mountainous Areas"

https://mirai-works.co.jp/news/news275/

Fiscal Year 2023 "Hiroshima Prefecture Professional Talent Strategy Hub: Outreach to Local Enterprises and Talent in the Capital Region"

https://mirai-works.co.jp/news/news9104/

Fiscal Year 2024 "Planning and Operation of External Talent Utilization Support in Hiroshima's Mountainous Areas and Matching Services between Metropolitan Professionals and Local Enterprises"

https://mirai-works.co.jp/news/news11899/

Fiscal Year 2025 "Planning and Operation of External Talent Utilization Support in Hiroshima's Mountainous Areas"

https://mirai-works.co.jp/news/news14138/

≪About Hiroshima Prefecture≫

Hiroshima Prefecture is a region of rich natural beauty, with the Chugoku Mountains in the north and the calm Seto Inland Sea in the south. It has a strong manufacturing sector, exemplified by automobile and shipbuilding industries, and its major ports serve as logistics hubs for domestic and international trade. The prefecture is also home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites—Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Atomic Bomb Dome) and Itsukushima Shrine—drawing visitors from around the world.

Hiroshima's mountainous regions cover approximately 70% of the prefecture's land area and are home to about 380,000 people (around 10% of the prefecture's total population). Blessed with rich natural environments, the region produces abundant specialty goods such as lemons, Navel oranges, and wakagiku (green onions). It is filled with the diverse charms and lifestyle assets unique to satoyama (traditional rural landscapes).

Hiroshima Prefecture Official Website: https://www.pref.hiroshima.lg.jp/

≪Overview of Miraie Works Co., Ltd.≫

Headquarters: Tokyo HQ: Minato-ku, Tokyo

Other Offices: Kansai Branch / Kyushu Branch / Tohoku Branch

Representative: President and CEO Shoji Okamoto

Founded: March 2012

Stock Code: 6563 (Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market)

Capital: 94,910 thousand yen (as of March 31, 2026)

URL: https://www.mirai-works.co.jp/

Business Activities:

・ Professional Talent Services

Freelance / Contract work / Side jobs / Full-time employment

97,500 registered professionals, 9,400 client companies (as of May 31, 2026)

・ Consulting Services

・ Practical Reskilling Programs

・ Open Innovation Initiatives

・ Regional Revitalization Projects

・ Sustainability Management Support

https://mirai-works.co.jp