Comprehensive Agreement on Cooperation in Creating a Community of Well-being with Sports between Kyushu University’s Urban Institute, Kumamoto Prefecture’s Kikuyo Town, and Mitsui Fudosan

July 19, 2024
Kyushu University
Kikuyo Town, Kumamoto Prefecture
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

Tokyo, Japan, July 19, 2024 – The Urban Institute at Kyushu University (hereafter, “the Urban Institute”), Kikuyo Town in Kumamoto Prefecture, and Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. announced today that they entered into a comprehensive agreement on cooperation in creating a community of well-being with sports (hereafter, “the agreement”) on July 16. The Urban Institute was established at Kyushu University in December 2015 as a leading academic research center. It has long engaged in research related to well-being, continuing to publish as a representative body for the international Inclusive Wealth Report and otherwise collaborate with numerous international organizations, local governments, and corporations. Mitsui Fudosan implemented a joint research project into future forms for advanced industrial clusters that contribute to sustainability in fiscal 2023, and is newly establishing the Next-generation GX Industry Integrated Research Department in fiscal 2024.

To prepare for future economic development and population growth associated with the concentration of semiconductor companies, Kikuyo Town is moving forward with the establishment of a new station between Sanrigi Station and Haramizu Station on the JR Hohi Line, urban development centered on the new station, and the establishment of urban sports facilities. It is working to create an environment where people can enjoy sports throughout their lives, places to relax, and more to develop an enriched community where everyone can live comfortably.

Mitsui Fudosan has been involved in the operation of the Aso Kumamoto Airport since 2020, and has worked to invigorate it and the surrounding area. Also, Mitsui Fudosan has undertaken initiatives through industry-academia collaboration with a variety of universities, including Kyushu University.

Furthermore, Mitsui Fudosan renamed its Retail Facilities Division the Retail Facilities, Sports and Entertainment Division as of April 1, 2024, adding LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY and Tokyo Dome to the scope of its business. It is actively engaged in neighborhood creation that harnesses the power of sports and entertainment.

In accordance with conclusion of the agreement, Mitsui Fudosan and the Urban Institute will advance collaborative research set on the stage of Kikuyo Town using specific benchmarks (intestinal bacteria, etc.) to visualize the correlation between sports and residents’ happiness for the first time in Japan. By working closely together, the three parties to the agreement from industry, academia, and government aim to create a community of well-being with sports.

(Photo from left) Mitsui Fudosan Department Manager Takashi Sunaga, Kikuyo Town Mayor Takatoshi Yoshimoto, and Kyushu University’s Urban Institute Director Shunsuke Managi

■ Overview of the cooperation agreement

Mitsui Fudosan and the Urban Institute will advance collaborative research in Kikuyo Town using specific benchmarks (intestinal bacteria, etc.) to visualize the correlation between sports and residents’ happiness. The aim is to create a community of well-being with sports.

■ Kikuyo Town and surrounding area map

Kikuyo Town area map

Arial photo of area surrounding Kikuyo Town in Kumamoto Prefecture Companies mainly in semiconductor-related industries are moving into the area, expanding plants, and so forth

■Professor Shunsuke Managi, Director of the Urban Institute at Kyushu University

■Mitsui Fudosan’s initiatives for industry-academia collaboration

At turning points in social and economic paradigms, Mitsui Fudosan has contributed to the creation of new industries by bringing together companies and society and the wisdom of their members as a “platformer” that provides places and communities. From 2020, Mitsui Fudosan established a division dedicated to industry-academia collaboration and has taken on the challenge of fostering innovation. Under its new Group long-term vision established in April 2024, Mitsui Fudosan has set one business strategy as exploring new domains beyond real estate. It will therefore establish a new Innovation Promoting Division, and step up its industry-academic initiatives, with the aim of putting Japanese universities’ cutting-edge research into use in society, while leveraging its experience in community development to date.

■Mitsui Fudosan’s neighborhood creation while utilizing the power of sports

Mitsui Fudosan has created the slogan “BE THE CHANGE” as a banner of neighborhood creation centered on sports and has created various neighborhoods that incorporate sports elements.

Mitsui Fudosan has created places for playing sports, such as Miyashita Park with its Bouldering Wall and Skateboard Park, Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Fukuoka, equipped with a sports park including a 200m track, Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Sakai with its indoor stadium court capable of hosting full-scale sports and entertainment events, and Tokyo Dome City. As well, the company has been holding community-building events such as Mitsui Fudosan Sports Academy, where children attend one-day lessons with athletes, and accelerating these initiatives.

MIYASHITA PARK (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)

Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Fukuoka
(Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture)

Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Sakai
(Sakai, Osaka Prefecture)

Tokyo Dome City
(Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo)

Mitsui Fudosan Sports Academy
(Basketball Academy)

Mitsui Fudosan Sports Academy
(Ice Skating Academy)

■ Sustainability in the Mitsui Fudosan Group

Based on the meaning of its “& mark,” “to generate new value with society through cooperation, coexistence and co-creation, we forge ahead, innovating,” the Mitsui Fudosan Group views the “creation of social value” and the “creation of economic value” as two wheels of a cart. Accordingly, we believe that the creation of social value leads to the creation of economic value, and that this economic value then creates even greater social value.
Moreover, we identified six Group Materiality priority issues when formulating our new management philosophy in April 2024. These Group Materiality priority issues are (1) Contribute to industrial competitiveness, (2) Coexist with the environment, (3) Health and Vitality, (4) Safety and security, (5) Diversity and inclusion, and (6) Compliance and governance. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will work to address each of the materialities through its core business activities and contribute to the promotion of sustainability.

(References)
・ Group Management Philosophy and Long-Term Vision
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/innovation2030/
・ Group Materiality
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/approach/materiality/

* The initiatives outlined in this release are designed to help address the following three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).