Fujitsu Japan and Kanazawa Institute of Technology collaborate in local revitalization initiatives using digital technology

TOKYO, Oct 2, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Japan Ltd. (1) (hereinafter Fujitsu Japan) today announced the start of a collaboration with Kanazawa Institute of Technology (2) through Kanazawa Institute of Technology's Izuhara Laboratory (3) to promote the practical application of technology through industry-academia collaboration for local revitalization. From October 20 to October 22, 2023, Fujitsu and Kanazawa Institute of Technology will launch an initiative to issue NFTs (4) utilizing the “Fujitsu Web3 Acceleration Platform” (5) to visitors of the “Kanazawa Tsukimikoro” (6) illumination event that will be hosted by the Kanazawa Institute of Technology. As part of their collaboration, Fujitsu and Kanazawa Institute of Technology will display NFTs through a dedicated AR application “Connect Kanazawa 2,” during　the “Kanazawa Tsukimikoro” event which aims to connect the real and virtual world.

Through this initiative, Fujitsu Japan and Kanazawa Institute of Technology aim to raise positive awareness around NFTs and also offer participants a new local experience that links advanced technologies with cultural events at the traditional town of Kanazawa. Moving forward, Fujitsu and Kanazawa Institute of Technology will test application of NFTs in the development of various local services. Fujitsu Japan will further promote initiatives leveraging digital technologies to contribute to the solution of societal issues in communities with declining birthrates and aging populations.

Professor Ritsuko Izuhara, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Department of Media Informatics, College of Informatics and Human Communication, comments:

“At the Kanazawa Institute of Technology we aim to solve societal issues through industry-academia-government collaboration. We are excited to collaborate with the Fujitsu Group in the “Connect Kanazawa 2” project to publish a one-of-a-kind NFT. In this way we hope to provide visitors with a special experience that will attract new interest in the Kanazawa region. Kanazawa Institute of Technology will continue to collaborate and co-create with the Fujitsu Group to realize a sustainable future society and contribute to the promotion of Society5.0 and the SDGs in Japan.”

Background

Declining birthrates and an aging population represent an ongoing challenge for many local communities. In addition to “re-settlers” and tourists, the growing importance of nonresident population - population that does not permanently live in a certain region but has a strong relationship with it – has been gaining increasing attention within initiatives to drive the revitalization of local communities.

Kanazawa Institute of Technology is promoting practical education to contribute to the solution of societal issues through industry-academia collaboration, with Kanazawa Institute of Technology’s Izuhara Laboratory putting special focus on the use of digital technology in local communities.

In March 2023, the Fujitsu Group launched its “Fujitsu Web3 Acceleration Platform,” Fujitsu’s platform to co-create transformational, value-added solutions to a variety of issues facing society, offering access free of charge to select participants of its global partner program, "Fujitsu Accelerator Program for CaaS" (7). To further strengthen the relation of nonresident population with local communities and ultimately contribute to local revitalization, Fujitsu Japan and Kanazawa Institute of Technology’s Izuhara Laboratory started a joint project to issue NFTs using Web3 technology.

Outline of the initiative

As part of their collaboration, Fujitsu Japan and Kanazawa Institute of Technology will combine Fujitsu's Web3 technology with an AR application created by Kanazawa Institute of Technology to issue an NFT to visitors of the “Kanazawa Tsukimikoro” event.

To offer visitors an experience that links the real and digital world, Kanazawa Institute of Technology will present an event combing projection mapping with a live piano performance to both visitors of the event venue and participants in a simultaneous virtual event. The event will also include an augmented reality (AR) experience in combination with projection mapping. Participants who look at the event site using a dedicated web application on their smartphone will see the image of a rabbit on their smartphone. When tapping on the rabbit, visitors will receive an NFT of the rabbit with the projection mapping as a background.

Fujitsu Japan will issue NFTs linked to AR images generated at the venue to participants using the web application　on their smartphones. In this NFT publishing mechanism, Fujitsu provides an API that allows NFTs to be published over the public blockchain network, Ethereum. This makes it easier to implement and provide services using NFTs compared to conventional NFTs. Available as part of Fujitsu Web3 Acceleration Platform, the API service provides secure management of non-public data such as key management and holder information in terms of NFT publishing.

Moving forward, Fujitsu Japan and Kanazawa Institute of Technology will test the application of NFTs in the development of various local services to further strengthen the relation of nonresident population with local communities by offering attractive events and experiences.

Fujitsu Japan will utilize digital technologies including NFTs and Web3 technology to contribute to solving local societal issues.

[1]Fujitsu Japan Ltd. :Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO Izumi Nagahori
[2]Kanazawa Institute of Technology :Address: Nonoichi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan; President: Satoshi Osawa Participant in the “Fujitsu Accelerator Program for CaaS,” Fujitsu’s global co-creation program
[3]Izuhara Laboratory :Led by Professor Ritsuko Izuhara, Department of Media Informatics, College of Informatics and Human Communication at the Kanazawa Institute of Technology
[4]NFT :Abbreviation for Non Fungible Token. Irreplaceable tokens issued by blockchain technology that are difficult to falsify or forge.
[5]“Fujitsu Web3 Acceleration Platform” :Fujitsu’s Web3 platform offering a developmental environment as well as various service APIs based on blockchain and high-performance computing technologies. Fujitsu envisions the platform as a future community for users in start-ups, partner companies, and universities working to build the next generation of Web3 applications and services.
[6]“Kanazawa Tsukimikoro” :An illumination event organized by Kanazawa Institute of Technology and held at the Ishikawa Prefectural Government Memorial Inoki State Guest House
[7]“Fujitsu Accelerator Program for CaaS” :Global partner program that aims to provide prompt solutions to societal issues by co-creating new use cases on CaaS with innovative startups in Japan and overseas. As a "Fujitsu Accelerator Program for CaaS Co-Creation Partner", participating startups will receive free use of CaaS, dedicated engineer support and training, and various benefits related to use case creation through joint development.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, our 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: Computing, Networks, AI, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.7 trillion yen (US$28 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. Find out more: www.fujitsu.com.

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