Kikai Town (Mayor: Etsuo Kumazaki) has announced that The Japan Research Institute (JRI, President: Jun Uchikawa) has newly joined the 'Partnership Agreement Concerning the Promotion of Kikai Town's Regional Decarbonization Vision,' originally concluded on July 17, 2024, with Chiyoda Corporation (President: Koji Ota), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC, CEO: Akihiro Fukutome), and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing (SMFL, President: Tetsuro Imaeda).

JRI, which engages in research and support aimed at balancing regional decarbonization with regional revitalization, has joined the agreement in alignment with its objectives.

1. Background Kikaijima, where Kikai Town is located, is an island in the Amami Islands formed by rare raised coral reefs. The town faces challenges including disaster risks due to climate change, a shortage of successors in agriculture, and difficulty in maintaining public infrastructure due to population decline.

2. Significance and Value Added by JRI The agreement aims to realize the 'Kikaijima Zero Carbon Island Concept,' targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. Within this partnership, JRI will examine business schemes for establishing public-private entities. Furthermore, leveraging its expertise, JRI will provide end-to-end support from conceptualization to social implementation of social infrastructure models, aiming to simultaneously solve regional issues and advance decarbonization through the introduction of storage batteries and the use of renewable energy.

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Partnership