On Friday, August 2, 2024, Vice President OYABU Chiho of Gifu University visited the Minokamo City Hall, Gifu Prefecture, and had a discussion with Mayor FUJII Hiroto with the aim of exchanging opinions on 'furusato nozei¹.' Minokamo City is home to the Minokamo Farm, Gifu Field Science Center of the Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences at Gifu University. Additionally, Gifu University and Minokamo City signed a comprehensive partnership agreement in September 2015 to contribute to the development of the local community and human resource development and have been advancing collaborative activities in various fields.

In the discussion, Vice President Oyabu explained ideas for implementing Gifu University's support-type hometown tax donation project, tentatively named the "University Support Project²." She underscored the benefits of introducing the project to Minokamo City, including increased revenue from new donors, and successful examples from other municipalities. Mayor Fujii mentioned the significant decrease in 'furusato nozei' donations for Minokamo City compared to their peak and emphasized the need for a new strategy. He then expressed his intention to focus on the nature of projects implemented through 'furusato nozei' rather than competing with return gifts. He pledged to take prompt actions to launch new, attractive projects.

Additionally, the two exchanged opinions on regional revitalization measures and deepened discussions on future cooperation frameworks. Moving forward, both Gifu University and Minokamo City will proceed with concrete examinations of revitalization measures and future collaboration at the practical level and work together towards the implementation of the University Support Project.

1) a Japanese hometown tax donation system that allows taxpayers to donate to local municipalities and receive tax deductions in return. This system encourages support for regional development and often includes gifts from the local area as a token of appreciation.

2) University Support Projects aims to raise donations to support universities located in the region through the hometown tax donation system. Donors can choose the university or project they wish to support, and their donations are eligible for tax deductions, just like regular 'furusato nozei.' Such initiatives are expected to foster collaboration between universities and local communities to address regional issues, contributing to the overall development of the area.