Launch of Accompanying Support for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Regional Society DX Promotion Package Project (Promotion System Construction Support)" in Hokkaido

A consortium composed of three companies – NTT DX Partner Inc. (President and CEO Takashi Abe, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), NTT East Corporation Hokkaido Branch (Executive Officer and Hokkaido Branch Manager Hiroko Shigeta, Sapporo City), and Kantomint Inc. (President and CEO Yamato Nakamoto, Sapporo City) – which serves as the representative organization for this project, has been selected as an accompanying support provider for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Regional Society DX Promotion Package Project (Promotion System Construction Support)"※1. They will commence accompanying support (DX promotion system construction, regional society DX human resource development, etc.) aimed at solving regional issues in the supported areas (Hokkaido, Iwamizawa City, Chitose City, Ishikari City, Shintotsukawa Town, Shakotan Town).

※1 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Press Release: "Selection Results for Supported Regions and Accompanying Support Providers in the FY2025 Supplementary Budget 'Regional Society DX Promotion Package Project (Promotion System Construction Support)'" https://www.soumu.go.jp/menu_news/s-news/01ryutsu06_02000481.html

Photo from the kick-off meeting for the Regional Society DX Promotion Package Project (Promotion System Construction Support) held on June 29, 2026. At the start of the project, project stakeholders (local governments, accompanying support providers, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) exchanged opinions on regional issues and requests.

1. Background and Objectives

Challenges that local governments must address are increasing, including labor shortages due to declining and aging populations, changes in the economic structure, and the need to respond to SDGs. DX promotion is becoming indispensable for solving these issues. Hokkaido, in particular, with its vast area and cold, snowy climate, is experiencing population decline at a pace exceeding the national average, making it increasingly difficult to maintain social infrastructure such as regional transportation, disaster prevention, and primary industries. While the implementation of digital technologies is essential to solve these problems, both the prefecture and its municipalities lack specialized personnel who can lead DX promotion.

In this context, Hokkaido will utilize the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Regional Society DX Promotion Package Project (Promotion System Construction Support)" to build a wide-area DX promotion system that integrates the prefectural government and municipalities. This project, which will see the prefectural government serve as a hub and leverage wide-area regional collaboration with the Hokkaido Economic Federation to promote regional society DX in a wide-area government encompassing diverse municipalities with varying population sizes, industrial structures, and geographical conditions like Hokkaido, is a pioneering initiative nationwide.

[Supported Regions] Hokkaido, Iwamizawa City, Chitose City, Ishikari City, Shintotsukawa Town, Shakotan Town, Hokkaido Economic Federation (Wide-Area Regional Collaboration)

2. Project Details

To promote DX in the supported regions, this project will provide the following support from July 2026 to March 2027:

Planning and Design of DX Promotion Support for Municipalities

・Planning and design of DX promotion menus and support flows based on the DX progress status of each supported region.

・Planning and operation of a training program for regional society DX promotion personnel who can function effectively in the field.

Building a System for Promoting Regional Society DX in Supported Regions

・Identification of regional issues from the perspective of local residents and businesses, analysis of causes, and formulation of problem-solving policies.

・Accompanying support throughout the entire process from issue discovery to countermeasure planning and effect verification, and transfer of promotion know-how.

Building Plans and Models through Surveys and Demonstrations

・Formulation of action plans for regional society DX promotion based on surveys of the region's current status and resident needs.

・Implementation of proof-of-concept (PoC) for solving regional issues through the utilization of digital technology.

Through these efforts, the project aims to visualize the DX promotion status in the supported regions and, by having the prefectural government standardize and manualize the municipal support flow, to achieve phased expansion to all 179 municipalities in Hokkaido and establish a sustainable regional digital infrastructure.

[Roles of Each Company]

NTT DX Partner Inc.

・Overall project management, administrative work, and report creation.

・Consulting services for building DX promotion systems and structures for municipalities.

・Design and operation of training sessions and workshops.

・Dispatch of on-site support staff to supported regions.

NTT East Corporation Hokkaido Branch

・Consulting services for identifying regional issues, analyzing causes, and formulating problem-solving policies.

・Support for solving regional issues using digital technology and introduction of solutions.

・Dispatch of on-site support staff to supported regions.

Kantomint Inc.

・Consulting services for identifying regional issues, analyzing causes, and formulating problem-solving policies.

・Consulting services for solving regional issues using digital technology.

・Dispatch of on-site support staff to supported regions.

3. Future Outlook

This consortium of three companies will work on promoting DX for regional revitalization and developing DX promotion personnel. Based on the results of this fiscal year's initiatives, in collaboration with stakeholders such as the Hokkaido Economic Federation, they aim to expand horizontally to all 179 municipalities across the prefecture, establish a sustainable regional digital infrastructure, and challenge themselves to continuously create new value in various regions nationwide.

4. Inquiries Regarding This Matter

NTT DX Partner Inc. [email protected]