On Thursday, August 1, 2024, Gifu University concluded a partnership agreement with Hichisō Town, Gifu Prefecture.

Over the years, Gifu University and Hichisō Town have developed a strong partnership, particularly in drafting town's comprehensive development plans. Under this new partnership, Gifu University and Hichisō Town will collaborate across diverse fields to create a vibrant society. We aim to deepen our relationship in a sustainable and comprehensive manner, accelerating the development of human resources equipped with strong leadership skills.

Hichisō Town is the 41st municipal government that Gifu University has entered into a partnership agreement with.

At the signing ceremony, Mayor KANO Yoshiaki stated, "Hichisō Town is located in the central-southern part of Gifu Prefecture, surrounded by mountains and still retains the beautiful original landscape of Japan. However, we are facing a declining population and have the highest aging rate in the prefecture. We would like to invite proposals that incorporate the innovative ideas and research findings of university students. Together with the town's residents and Gifu University, we can continue to tackle both social and economic challenges.

President YOSHIDA Kazuhiro of Gifu University stated, "Gifu University aims to become a top-tier regional core university in Japan. We will leverage our strengths in industry and town development, manufacturing and food production, healthcare, and human resource development. We believe that by working together to raise the profile of Hichisō Town as the home of Japan's oldest stone and by researching and improving town's specialty, Sanbancha tea¹, we can contribute to revitalizing the town. Specifically, we can provide opportunities for high school students in the prefecture to learn about the oldest stone through the space engineering seminars we conduct as part of our high school-university collaboration project. Additionally, we can strengthen our collaboration in areas such as component analysis of Sanbancha tea and the development of new products."

Both Gifu University and Hichisō Town remain committed to regional revitalization so that Hichisō Town continue to thrive while retaining the beautiful original landscape of Japan.

1) "Sanbancha" refers to a type of bancha tea made by picking green tea leaves and stems, sun-drying them, and aging them for three years.