The film looks at the initiatives of projects such as the ‘Web3 Village’, a unique concept that aims to transform Akita, which is suffering from a declining population and shrinking economy, through the use of Akita Inu and Web3.0.
--The reason for setting up Meta Akita in Akita is that the majority of our members are volunteers from Akita.
TASUKOF: We set up Meta Akita in Akita because, in addition to the fact that the majority of our members are volunteers from Akita, we thought we had to do something about the negative situation that has surrounded Akita for many years.
Akita's population is declining by more than 10 000 people a year, the highest rate of population decline in Japan. It also has the highest female out-migration rate in eastern Japan, and with an average age of over 50, it has the lowest birthrate and the oldest population in Japan. The speed of economic contraction is also the fastest in Japan, and the situation is very serious.
In order to change this situation, we first thought of creating businesses in Akita, but even if we started new businesses such as food and beverage or retail, the demand in the prefecture itself is small, so the chances of success are low. Furthermore, Akita is an ‘isolated island on land’ with poor accessibility from metropolitan areas, and it is not easy to attract people from outside the prefecture.
We then considered what kind of business we could start in Akita, and came up with two conditions: one was that we could start small with a small number of elite people, and the other was that we would not be restricted by Akita's geographical conditions and economy.
Taking these into consideration, we decided to start with an IT business. As I myself have been involved in blockchain business consulting for a major company since around 2016, I thought that Web 3.0, one of the next-generation models of the internet, could be used to solve Akita's problems, and decided to make Web 3.0 one of Meta Akita's solutions. Why Web 3.0?
--Why do you think Web 3.0 is the next generation of IT business?
TASUKOF: First of all, as a premise, we believe that the Internet as an infrastructure is not inherently centralised. However, as a result, the current internet/IT business is controlled by large companies such as GAFAM.
Web 3.0 is also fundamentally de-centralised, but in reality, some nodes occupy mining, and large companies are investing heavily to centralise even Web 3.0 (occupying the gateway to Web 3). For our part, we have a kind of sense of crisis about this trend.
On the other hand, as Web 3.0 is easy to implement with transparent incentives for individual contributions, we believe that its increasing decentralisation has the potential to generate new business and technological innovations at the level of individuals around the world. We believe this is the ideal future of IT business, and Meta Akita wants to promote the ‘ideal evolution of IT business’ from the local level.
--What part of launching the business did you think ‘will be successful because of Akita’?
TASUKOF: First of all, in order to promote the region to the world, it is necessary to select something easy to understand for people around the world as the core of the business. The most global IP (brand) in Akita is Akita Inu. We decided to focus on Akita Inu and combine it with IT/Web 3.0 to create a business that successfully utilises the Akita Inu brand.
Yudai Shirahata (Shirahata): We believe that utilising IP is the key to regional development. In addition to Akita Inu, Akita has other well-known IP such as sake and namahage, and we feel that there is potential for businesses that utilise them. Also, while placing IP at the centre of business, individuals taking the initiative and leading the activities in a DAO-like manner is a model that is suitable for Web 3.0.
We envision a future where people from all over Japan and the world who support Akita's IP participate in activities that enliven Akita while being there, while developing businesses that utilise Web 3.0 thinking and technology, and where the number of fans increases even further.
TASUKOF: If the DAO functions well as a business that utilises IP and as a new form of organisation, we believe that we can create a situation where people will naturally gather in Akita, either digitally or physically.
This includes Akita Inu fans from all over the world, and skilled people from Akita Prefecture who once left the prefecture may come back to Akita. If we can create such a flow of people and money, we believe that we can uncover various IPs that are still sleeping and create a synergistic effect.
We are working to create this situation with the vision of ‘turning a city with the fastest declining birthrate and ageing population in the world into a city that can boast the world's highest level of affluence’.
--What exactly does Meta Akita do?
TASUKOF: We are engaged in four main businesses.
The first is the blockchain business. We are collaborating with local authorities in Akita to promote the social implementation of blockchain and related advanced technologies.
The second is a consulting business, including DX strategy planning, for local governments and companies in the prefecture, and the third is support for the overseas expansion of local companies. Led by members with global business experience, the most recent project is branding the products of a historic sake brewery in Akita by combining them with Akita dogs and selling them overseas.
The fourth is a project related to Akita Inu. We are also an authorised company of the Akita Inu Preservation Society, and we are considering various projects such as the development of dog food to realise a dog-friendly world.
▶︎ About the Akita Inu Preservation Society: an organisation that protects Akita Inu, organises exhibitions and issues pedigrees. It has a history of nearly 100 years since its inception, and its mission is to contribute to the development of Akita Inu culture.
Our activities are centred on these four projects, and we have made several achievements in the year since we set up our company in August 2022. Specifically, the first of these is the sale of the Akita Dog NFT series. We have received coverage not only from local TV and newspapers, but also from the national media, which has been a good opportunity for people to know about our activities.
We also had local companies participate in the form of providing utilities (benefits of ownership), and I think we got off to a good start as an activity to boost Akita. Since then, we have expanded our activities by offering Akita Inu NFT and original sake sets as a return gift for Odate City's hometown tax payment, and collaborating with the professional table tennis team Ryukyu Astida to sell ticket NFTs.
Most recently, the NFT was used to collect donations from around the world in the aftermath of the major flooding in Akita this year. The collected donations were handed directly to the Deputy Governor of Akita Prefecture. We also provided technical support for the Akita Dog NFT Stamp Rally between Odate City and Kosaka Town, which was organised as an inbound policy, in terms of the use of NFT.
Shirahata: Our intention in carrying out these activities over the past year, in addition to the business creation aspect, was to create opportunities for more individuals and companies to participate in activities and discussions that would enhance Akita.
Again, we believe that the ideal situation is one where IP is at the heart of business, but where individuals take the initiative and drive the activities in a DAO-like manner. In order to achieve this, we need to increase the number of people who agree with our activities, so we are discussing daily how we can improve Akita by asking local volunteers to join our activities and by forming partnerships with local companies.
▶︎Meta Akita's Akita Dog NFT series
▶︎Original sake offered as a tax return gift from Odate City, Akita Prefecture. The returns also include a limited edition NFT commemorating the 100th anniversary of Hachiko's birth, which can be received by making a donation to Odate City by 31 December 2023.
--What is your vision for unique and topical initiatives such as the ‘Web3 Village Concept’ and ‘Akita Dog Coin’, which are in the latter half of the phase?
SHIRAHATA: We are considering the ‘Web3 Village Concept’ and ‘Akita Dog Coins’ as ideas for incentive designs and mechanisms to support the formation of a state (DAO) in which talented people from all over the world can take the initiative and get involved in activities.
TASUKOF: I think the token economy is important for DAOs to operate organically. In particular, I think it would be interesting to visualise the feelings, awareness and compassion of people that have had value but have not been quantified until now.
By using tokens to visualise acts of kindness and social contributions that are difficult to convert into monetary values, it is possible to give people options other than cash payments and other traditional means of value exchange. I think this will also increase interaction between people.
--In many Web 3.0 projects, tokens are first issued and then used to raise funds, and in Meta Akita, token issuance is incorporated into the final phase of the project. Is this also a strategy based on what you have just described?
Shirahata: Yes, that's right. We believe that issuing tokens out of the blue is meaningless without an economic and incentive design.
TASUKOF: In addition, the impact of regulations is another reason. Our main goal is to attract people and wealth to Akita, but to achieve this we have to comply with Japanese law. I think there will be some changes depending on future regulatory trends.
Shirahata: In terms of trends in the world, we also need to look at the state of mass adoption of technology, and items affected by this are included in the latter half of the phase. We are also working on the development of the world's first blockchain-based dog
--TASUKOF: What are your future plans, goals and ambitions?
TASUKOF: By the end of 2023, we will probably launch the world's first blockchain-based dog pedigree issuing service. Specifically, we are developing a DID/VC (certificate/distributed ID) based pedigree in collaboration with a Silicon Valley company. We will first apply it to the Akita Dog Preservation Society and hope to expand it to other dog-related organisations from time to time.
In 2024, we plan to hold the Akita Inu Exhibition on the Akita Inu Metaverse, which is currently under development. The Akita Inu Exhibition is an annual event organised by the Akita Inu Preservation Society, where Akita Inu are collected from all over Japan, evaluated and awarded. We hope that this event, which until now could only be enjoyed locally, will be held in the Metaverse so that more people can enjoy the Akita Inu brand.
Shirahata: Our goal is that many people will be excited about Akita. In addition, we hope that the same solution will be developed in other prefectures, and that it will enliven Japan as a whole.
We will continue to implement innovative initiatives, so please contact us if you are interested. We are open to partnerships both within and outside Akita Prefecture, so please do not hesitate to contact us.
▶︎The Akita Inu Metaverse is currently being developed with Akita Inu as its motif, and in 2024 the Akita Inu Exhibition, an annual event organised by the Akita Inu Preservation Society, will be held in the Metaverse.
TASUKOF
TASUKOF has been involved in the development and operation of financial systems including foreign securities settlement and BOJ bond settlement since around 2010, launched crypto asset exchanges in Japan and abroad around 2016, and established the first MBADAO in the Ivy League in the US in 2021. Since then, he has been involved in web3 consulting and establishing DAOs for major companies in Japan and abroad. 2022: founded Meta Akita Inc.
Yudai Shirahata
Yudai Shirahata has been working in the games media business for a major publishing company since around 2013, providing promotional support to major Japanese games companies, etc. From 2020, he moved to Hong Kong to study for an MBA at the University of Hong Kong. After graduation, he worked as a project manager for a tech accessory brand before starting his own business support company in Hong Kong in 2021, and from 2022 he will be involved in the management of Meta Akita Inc.
◉ Meta Akita.
[HP] https://akitainu-hozonkai.com/metaakita/
Web 3.0 x Akita: Combining IP such as Akita Inu and Web 3.0 as a measure to resolve pressing issues.
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