August 6, 2026 Results of the Public Solicitation for Post Office Utilization Project to Ensure the Sustainability of Local Communities (hereinafter referred to as the "Post Office Utilization Project")

　The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) decided to select eight projects for the Post Office Utilization Project based on an evaluation conducted by external experts.

Note: The published materials are in Japanese only.

1　 Overview

　In recent years, Japan’s social environment has undergone significant changes due to factors such as population decline, a declining birthrate, and an aging population. Against this backdrop, particularly in regions experiencing population decline, it has become difficult to maintain self-sustaining local economies, leading to the gradual reduction of physical facilities such as local government branch offices and financial institutions.

　Under these circumstances, maintaining public services and life support services for residents has become a major issue. To address these issues, the MIC is implementing the Post Office Utilization Project. As part of this initiative, the MIC is conducting a demonstration project aimed at transforming post offices into “community hubs” that provide new administrative and life support services for residents in an integrated manner. The project seeks to resolve local issues and create model cases for ensuring the sustainability of local communities.

　The MIC has received applications from prospective implementing entities that were publicly solicited for the Post Office Utilization Project, through its contractor, NTT DATA Institute of Management Consulting, Inc. The application period ran from Friday, May 29, 2026, to Friday, July 10, 2026.

2 Results of the adoption

　As a result of the public solicitation, 14 applications were received. Based on the results of the evaluation committee consisting of external experts, the following eight projects were selected for adoption.

Demonstration project name	Representative body	Principal area of demonstration
Demonstration of Utilizing Post Offices as Administrative and Community Support Hubs and for Phase-Free Decentralized Stockpiling	General incorporated association Tokachi Urahoro Gakusya	Urahoro Town, Tokachi District, Hokkaido
Project to Introduce New Mobility Solutions and Transform Post Offices into Mobility Support Hubs	Onagawa Mirai Sozo Co., Ltd.	Onagawa Town, Oshika District, Miyagi Prefecture
Project to Foster New Leaders in Mountain Village Communities —Post Offices Serve as Points of Contact for Local Residents and Potential Related Population—	OSSA Co., Ltd.	Asuke Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture
Demonstration of a Community Hub Combining Healthcare and Shopping, Centered on Post Offices	MIYAMA Co., Ltd.	Kihoku Town, Kitamuro District, Mie Prefecture
Remote Support Service for Bereaved Families and Book Pickup and Return Project at All Post Offices in the City	Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture	Kawachinagano City, Osaka Prefecture
Demonstration of a Post Office–based “Model for Daily Life Support Utilizing Points of Contact with Residents”	Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture	Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture
Post Office as a Community Hub — A Model for Supporting and Enriching Daily Life in Local Communities	Iwami-Ginzan Seikatsu Kanko Kenkyusho Co., Ltd.	Oda City, Shimane Prefecture
Transforming Post Offices into Multifunctional Community Hubs Combining “Healthcare, Government, and Logistics”	Axis IT Partners Corp.	Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture