New company "Oga Namahage Fish Factory" established on the site of a former hot spring facility

NTT East Akita Branch (hereafter, NTT East), in cooperation with Akigin Capital Partners (ACP), an investment-specialized subsidiary of the Akita Bank, Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Takeda Suisan, Daishima Daibou Y.K., Yoko Suisan, Kanamori Suisan, and Sanpo Shokuhin, has taken over Yuhi Onsen WAO from Oga City. They jointly established a new company called "Oga Namahage Fish Factory" (President: Takashi Sawamura) on November 1, aiming at regional revitalization in Oga City, Akita Prefecture. On December 12, the new company held a business presentation and a ceremony to sign a location agreement with Oga City. The company announced its business development plan to improve the attractiveness of Oga City and increase the population of permanent residents through land-based aquaculture business using former bathing facilities.

The new company, aiming to establish a "regional resource-recycling economic zone" through local production and local consumption of energy and food, will start a land-based aquaculture business as the first phase of the project. The second and third phases of the project will involve the utilization of renewable energy and green power sources, such as wind power and biomass plants, and the realization of a zero-carbon city, respectively. NTT East will support the new company's business by using its own ICT technology and knowledge acquired through demonstration projects in the field of land-based aquaculture.

Amid the global trend of declining fishery resources, Japan's annual marine catch has been decreasing due to environmental changes such as rising sea temperatures and natural disasters. The Akita Prefecture and Oga region are no exception, with some businesses being forced to shut down due to reduced catch and consecutive poor harvests. If this situation continues, the fisheries industry in the Oga region will decline, and there are concerns that local fish will not be on the tables of every household someday. As a result, the circulation of the local economy will stagnate, and population outflow and aging, due to decline birthrates, will be accelerated. To address this situation, eight companies, NTT East, ACP, Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Takeda Suisan, Daishima Daibou, Yoko Suisan, Kanamori Suisan and Sanpo Shokuhin, have been in discussions to find a solution.

The eight companies reached a conclusion that land-based aquaculture would be an effective solution because it is less susceptible to external factors and can be expected to provide stable production. They decided to establish a joint venture company. This company will set up a land-based aquaculture plant at Yuhi Onsen WAO, which will be taken over from Oga City, and incorporate cutting-edge ICT technology to realize smart aquaculture and aim for high-quality and stable production. Using this land-based aquaculture business as a catalyst, the company will expand the projects into related industries, such as energy, to create and establish a regional recycling-oriented society.

The land-based aquaculture business to be developed as the first phase of the project will utilize the Yuhi Onsen WAO, which closed in March 2024, to create branded farmed fish in Oga City, where a closed-circulation land-based aquaculture plant will be constructed and operated. The company will work on production of the farmed fish and promote the industrialization including distribution, processing, and sales. As soon as the breeding program is successfully completed and sales channels are established, the company will consider expanding its business. The company will also develop the "Mirai no Machizukuri Project (future town creation project)," a project that can contribute to the community vitalization by utilizing the vacant space at the facility.

Among the companies involved, NTT East will take on roles such as overall project management, consulting for land-based aquaculture businesses, and providing land-based aquaculture plant equipment combined with ICT. ACP (Akita Bank Group) will handle product and sales channel development as well as management support, whereas Akita Sakigake Shimpo will focus on product and sales channel development as well as the promotion and advertising of the aquaculture products produced. Five local fisheries companies, Takeda Suisan, Daishima Daibou, Yoko Suisan, Kanamori Suisan, and Sanpo Shokuhin, will be responsible for managing the land-based aquaculture plant, raising and catching fish, obtaining breeding data, and processing aquaculture products.