The Publishing Department of the Institute for Advanced Education, Graduate School of Business Planning and Management has released the July 2024 issue of the Monthly Business Plan, a magazine specialising in corporate vitality, regional development and innovation, on Friday 31 May.

New businesses in agriculture, forestry and fisheries with primary industry DX: One of the most notable aspects of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry in recent years has been food security, which feeds 120 million people. To achieve this, it will be essential to promote primary industry DX, increase efficiency through multifaceted development such as exports, and increase the income of businesses. This section introduces the initiatives of businesses and governments that are promoting businesses that utilise digital technology to open up the future.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: update on the Agricultural DX Initiative.

-Hideto Sugaya, Deputy Director-General for Cyber Security and Informatisation, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The Agricultural DX Concept 2.0 was released to reflect developments in digital technology and changes in society. Farmers and food-related businesses and a diverse range of stakeholders, including private companies including start-ups, the national government and local authorities, will work together to promote the digitalisation of agriculture. MAFF also plans to create a forum for discussions on DX.

Aomori Prefecture .

For 19 consecutive years, Aomori Prefecture has had the highest agricultural output in the Tohoku region and the highest percentage of primary industry workers in Japan. The apple industry in particular is one of the most important key industries, with sales exceeding 100 billion yen. On the other hand, Aomori Prefecture is facing an urgent issue of population decline, with 35 municipalities predicted to potentially disappear by 2050 due to the falling birthrate and ageing population. In order to create new industries and build a sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry, Aomori Prefecture has launched the ‘AX’ (Aomori Transformation) – Aomori Great Transformation’ initiative from FY2024.

The ‘Aomori Transformation’ challenge based on challenge, dialogue and DX

From FY2024, Aomori Prefecture has started working on a new basic plan based on the basic principle of ‘AX’ (Aomori Transformation) – Aomori Great Transformation’. Governor Soichiro Miyashita, who says that ‘in challenges lies opportunity’, asks how he perceives the prefecture’s challenges and how he plans to turn them into opportunities.

RAB Aomori Broadcasting Co.

Aomori Broadcasting is a local station that enjoys a high level of support and trust from the people of Aomori Prefecture, and has many long-running programmes such as ‘Asa no minyo’, which has been running since the station opened in 1953, and ‘RAB News Radar’, a news wide programme that started in 1970 and was a pioneer among local stations nationwide. The station thoroughly adheres to Aomori’s position in its programming and news coverage.