Ishikawa Prefecture is located almost in the center of the Japanese mainland, and is long and narrow stretching from southwest to northeast. With the ancient winter capital of Kanazawa at its center, you can experience the original Japanese landscape. Noto is dotted with strange rocks and cliffs carved by the rough waves of the Sea of Japan, Kaga is famous for its hot springs with a history of 1,300 years, and Mt. Hakusan, one of Japan's three most famous mountains and known for its mountain village culture, is also very famous.
Ishikawa Prefecture was ruled by Maeda Toshiie during the Azuchi-Momoyama period and became the "Kaga Domain". During the Edo period, it became a large city with a land area of 1.2 million koku, and by the end of the Edo period, it had developed to the point where its population was the fourth largest in Japan. Since the first Toshiie, Kaga Domain's successive lords have promoted cultural policies. As a result, it has become one of the leading cultural cities in the country. There are more than 10 nationally designated traditional crafts, including Wajima lacquerware and Kanazawa gold leaf. In addition, the tea ceremony culture is thriving, as shown by the fact that it is ranked first in the country in the "percentage of people who practice tea ceremony and flower arrangement."
In Ishikawa Prefecture, efforts using Web 3.0 technology are thriving. In Kaga City, where the name of the Kaga Domain remains, the "e-Kaga Citizen Card NFT" has been issued on the Japanese public chain "Japan Open Chain".
In 2023, Kaga City held a large-scale Web 3.0 conference on regional revitalization using new technologies under the theme "Can Web 3.0 save a city at risk from disappearing?" Kaga City is at the forefront of regional city Web 3.0 utilization. Facing the threat of population decline and urban disappearance, Kaga City is working to overcome the current situation with cutting-edge technologies such as Web 3.0. As part of this effort, the "e-Kaga Citizen System" was launched. Through this initiative, which began with the aim of creating a diverse population of people involved in the region, Kaga City has set a goal of increasing the number of e-Kaga citizens to 1 million. As part of the 2023 Digital Garden City Concept Promotion Grant "Digital Implementation Type" adoption project for creating examples of horizontal expansion of the use of My Number cards, Kaga City has used NFTs to create the "e-Kaga Citizen Card NFT," which is equipped with a Web 3.0 wallet management function through public personal authentication using My Number cards.
In 2023, Kaga City issued its own NFT, which also serves as an electronic resident card for digital residents, under the demonstration plan for the "e-Kaga Citizen System." By holding this NFT, you can become a Kaga citizen on the Internet even if you live outside the region. You can also join a dedicated community, take a shared taxi, and use a workcation plan with accommodation.
Kaga City has also set out a smart city concept that utilizes digital technology, and was certified as a national strategic special zone in 2022. In response to this, the "Kaga City Web 3.0 Division" was announced in May 2024. This is a new digital support service that allows remote business startup consultations within the metaverse, and also works in conjunction with the digital citizen certificate NFT. Please refer to the next section for the future prospects of Kaga City Web 3.0 Division.
Kaga City has established the "Kaga City Web 3.0 Division" and launched a new entrepreneur support project. In addition to establishing the Kaga City Start-up One-Stop Center, the city is accepting remote start-up consultations using the e-Kaga Citizen System, a unique initiative of the city, and the metaverse. The aim is to create digital reconstruction innovation from Kaga City, a national strategic special zone.
In addition, Ishikawa Prefecture is seeing a variety of Web3.0-related initiatives. For example, as part of a support project for the Abare Festival, which has been held in Noto City, Ishikawa Prefecture for over 350 years and is known as one of Japan's most traditional festivals, calligraphy works created by the Noto High School Calligraphy Club are being sold as NFTs.
These NFTs, which feature the characters for "reconstruction," "hope," and "prayer," are being sold on the ANA GranWhale NFT MarketPlace run by All Nippon Airways (ANA), and buyers will receive special perks, including a limited-edition design of Hokuriku Seika's deep-fried rice cracker "Beaver," as well as the right to participate in Yobare until 2025. Proceeds will be used to cover the festival's operating costs and to support reconstruction efforts.
NFTs to support the "Abare Matsuri" held in the Ushizu area of Noto Town, Hōsu District, Ishikawa Prefecture, are being sold on the NFT marketplace operated by ANA. The festival, which was in danger of being canceled due to the Noto Peninsula earthquake, was successfully held in 2024. The "Abare Matsuri NFT" was introduced as a recovery measure. The second edition is now on sale in preparation for next year's event. The design was done by the Noto High School Calligraphy Club.
In addition, Suzu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is working with Hokuriku Bank, Kono Shinkin Bank, and Digital Platformer to develop a blockchain-based digital local currency service called "Tochitsuka." The points service "Tochipo" was launched in October 2023, and Japan's first deposit-based stablecoin "Tochika" was launched in April 2024. Tochipo and Tochika work closely together to meet the needs of local governments and businesses. This is a symbolic example of the development of a cashless environment in Ishikawa Prefecture.
Hokuriku Bank issued Japan's first stablecoin backed by yen deposits in April 2024. As a precursor to this, Suzu City began offering the digital regional currency "Suzu Tochipo" in 2023. The Tochitsuka app allows users to use two types of regional currency: "Tochipo", a point issued by the local government, and Tochika, issued by Hokuriku Bank.
Furthermore, Machinowa, a joint venture between SBI, Kyushu Electric Power, and Chikuho Bank, announced that it will begin working on the Anshin Project, a disaster-stricken area reconstruction support initiative, in March 2024. Together with Kanazawa University, the project is using "Fun Currency" to support the reconstruction of disaster-stricken areas.
Machinowa, a joint venture between SBI, Kyushu Electric Power, and Chikuho Bank, has launched the "Anshin Project" to support disaster-stricken areas using "Fan Tokens." Fan Currency is the name of a "payment information management system" operated by Kyuden. This project matches businesses aiming to resume operations and rebuild with supporting corporations and organizations.
In this way, Ishikawa Prefecture is trying to realize regional revitalization through Web 3.0 technology. If the number of related population increases, it will become one of the leading examples in Japan, and even regional cities suffering from population decline will see a bright future.
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