What was the background, history, and purpose behind the launch of "Virtual Tottori"?
Sugita Daiki (hereinafter, Sugita): First of all, "Virtual Tottori" was launched by the Population Decline Countermeasures Division of the Tottori Prefectural Government Office, and is mainly dealing with social increase and decrease. This includes relocation and settlement, and the creation of a related population, which the "Metaverse Division" also works on.
In 2020, Tottori Prefecture released the app "Torifuru," which aims to disseminate information about the prefecture on job hunting, relocation, and other topics. "Torifuru" disseminates a variety of information, but it is inevitably limited to one-way information dissemination from the prefecture. Therefore, we felt that there was a need for more two-way interaction with students looking for jobs and people considering relocation, which led to the realization of "Virtual Tottori."
When did the idea for "Virtual Tottori" itself begin?
Sugita: The idea itself has been around since around 2022. At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic was underway, making face-to-face communication difficult. The initiative was launched in earnest in 2024 with the aim of creating an environment in which digital communication, particularly among young people, could be carried out, and in particular to create a connected population using the metaverse.
Tottori Prefecture's efforts regarding the metaverse included the launch of the Metaverse Department in 2023, the first of its kind in a local government. What specific initiatives are they taking?
Nakamura Taiki (hereinafter, Nakamura): The Metaverse Department was originally launched when J&J Business Creation, a joint venture between JTB and JCB, XANA, which operates a Web 3.0-type metaverse, and Tezuka Productions, known for "Astro Boy," were working to revitalize the region using the metaverse and NFT trading cards.
These three parties proposed to become a collaborative partner, and Tottori Prefecture, as the COVID-19 pandemic was coming to an end at the time, felt that it was necessary to disseminate information to increase tourism and create a potential connected population both domestically and internationally, and so began working together.
