Third Season of 'GOTEMBA MIRAI PROJECT 2026 powered by TGC' Launches to Cultivate Future Talent in Gotemba

W TOKYO, in collaboration with Gotemba City and SFG Marketing, is launching 'GOTEMBA MIRAI PROJECT 2026 powered by TGC' as the third season of its ongoing talent development project for high school students, which has been in operation since 2024.

Designed to solve regional issues in Gotemba and nurture the youth who will lead the future, the project centers on entrepreneurship education. For the 2026 fiscal year, the program will be further developed based on past results and participant feedback.

About the GOTEMBA MIRAI PROJECT This project is a joint effort started in 2024 between Gotemba City, selected as one of the Cabinet Office's 'SDGs Future Cities,' W TOKYO, which has strong outreach to younger generations, and SFG Marketing, which leverages Shizuoka Financial Group's network for regional branding, all aiming to realize a sustainable local community.

Through experiences where high school students confront regional resources and social issues, think for themselves, take action, and disseminate information, the project seeks to foster 'civic pride' and 'entrepreneurship' (the power to forge the future through one's own will).

2026 Initiative Overview Under the theme of 'Designing experiences that circulate through forests and the city,' the project will work on creating new experiences and value that connect Gotemba's rich forest resources with its urban and tourism hubs.

- Through inputs from experts inside and outside Gotemba, fieldwork, and workshops, students will identify regional attractions and issues from their unique perspectives to generate and verify ideas. - As an opportunity to encounter cutting-edge technology, the program will incorporate generative AI and observational content to comprehensively develop ideation, expression, and execution skills. - As in previous years, university students (University of Shizuoka) and professional mentors will accompany the participants, forming a platform for intergenerational learning and co-creation. * Participant recruitment for this project is scheduled to begin in early June 2026. Program details will be announced later through the official information of Gotemba City and related parties.

Achievements and Future Outlook One of the project's achievements is the realization of product development by the first-term graduates. Students centrally planned and developed 'Komeko no Motchiri Mousse,' a sweet using Gotemba-grown rice flour, which has been commercialized and on sale since February 2026.

This initiative realizes the project's goal of 'practical entrepreneurship education' by having students experience the entire process from planning and development to commercialization and sales that contribute to regional issue solving, rather than just creating products using local resources.

In 2026, in addition to providing the program to the third-term students, support for the projects led by the second-term graduates will continue. Even after the program ends, the project aims to support ideas, matching with stakeholders, and implementation studies, ensuring that the challenges taken by high school students do not end as a passing experience but develop into initiatives that generate new value for the region and society.