Promotion of Regional Revitalization and Local Economic Revitalization

「As another initiative, an employee of Aizawa Securities belonging to its Regional Partnership Support Office will be stationed at the Oyama Town Office while remaining an employee of Aizawa Securities, in order to further promote regional revitalization and community development in Oyama Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, with which the Company has a comprehensive partnership agreement on regional revitalization. According to Aizawa Securities’ own research, this is the first such case in Japan of a securities company employee being stationed at a government agency.」

「At a subsidiary of the Group, Aizawa Securities, which operates the securities business, entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with Gotenba Nishi High School in July. With the school, the Company will promote the SDGs and regional revitalization. In September, it also entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement on regional revitalization with Oyama Town, Shizuoka Prefecture. This was the Company’s third partnership with a local government.」

「At a subsidiary of the Group, Aizawa Securities, which operates the securities business, entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with Aomori Yamada High School in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, in April. With the school, the Company will work on regional revitalization, including development of the regional economy, in addition to developing talent through financial education and entrepreneurship education.」

「In February 2023, the Company entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture, its second partnership with a local government, and is advancing initiatives for regional revitalization.」

「In November, Aizawa Securities, the securities business subsidiary of the Group, opened a coworking space near Shizuoka University’s Shizuoka Campus as a community hub in collaboration with Shizuoka University and other parties to comprehensive partnership agreements. The facility is available not only to university students but also to working adults and junior and senior high school students, and is expected to support student entrepreneurship by facilitating interaction between students and local companies. As part of the financial special classes that Aizawa Securities continues to conduct in collaboration with educational institutions, Ube Konjo High School in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Hitachiomiya High School in Ibaraki Prefecture, a comprehensive business partner of Aizawa Securities, held an online exchange. The schools engaged in an active exchange of views, including numerous questions from Ube Konjo High School to Hitachiomiya High School, which is ahead in entrepreneurship and financial education. As part of its collaboration with financial institutions, from November through December the Company conducted “Financial Education and Visiting Classes” for students at Fukiage Junior High School in Ome City jointly with Ome Shinkin Bank, a comprehensive business partner, and the Tokyo Finance Office of the Kanto Local Finance Bureau, Ministry of Finance. This was the third year of the program.」

「In July, we announced that we would open the Ube Branch, our fifth joint bank-securities branch with Saikyo Bank, which is also a comprehensive business partner, in October 2022. We will provide customers in the Yamaguchi area with integrated services, including deposits and stock investment, unique to a joint bank-securities branch.」

「In February, Aizawa Securities opened its fourth joint bank-securities branch with Saikyo Bank, the Yamaguchi Branch (formerly the Yamaguchi Consulting Plaza). We provide customers in the Yamaguchi area with integrated services, including deposits and stock investment, unique to a joint bank-securities branch, and are working to revitalize the regional economy while receiving favorable feedback from many customers.」

「In March, the Company’s initiative, “Promoting the development of highly financially literate talent and regional revitalization through entrepreneurship and business through partnerships with educational institutions,” was selected as a “notable initiative by a financial institution or other organization contributing to regional revitalization” by the Headquarters for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan within the Cabinet Secretariat, and received an award from the Minister of State for Special Missions in charge of Regional Revitalization.」

「Regarding partnerships with regional financial institutions, in December 2020 the company entered into a comprehensive business partnership agreement with Tsuru Shinkin Union (Yamanashi Prefecture). Through this partnership, the companies will share their business bases while providing different services, pursuing initiatives that contribute to the development and revitalization of local communities, as well as collaboration beyond their respective regions by leveraging the know-how and networks held by both companies in areas including inheritance and business succession.」

「Under these circumstances, the Cross-Industry Seamless and Reversible Personnel Exchange Program, an initiative leveraging partnerships with regional financial institutions, was the only program selected among securities companies and received an award from the Minister of State for Special Missions in charge of Regional Revitalization.」

「As another regional revitalization and community development initiative, in March 2020 we entered into our first comprehensive partnership agreement with a local government, the city of Gotenba, Shizuoka Prefecture. In addition to promoting industry, including support for corporate management, we will contribute to regional revitalization and community development through support for residents’ asset management and local education.」

「As part of the Company’s industry-academia collaboration, we newly entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with Ibaraki Prefectural Hitachiomiya High School. This is the first comprehensive partnership between a securities company and a public high school in Japan. In connection with comprehensive business partnerships with regional financial institutions, we also made a donation through the corporate hometown tax program to the “Ome Tourism Strategy Creation Project Action Program,” a tourism promotion initiative in Ome, Tokyo, involving Ome Shinkin Bank, which entered into a partnership with us in April 2019.」

「During the consolidated fiscal year, as part of our collaboration with regional financial institutions to promote regional revitalization, we newly entered into comprehensive business partnership agreements with 三島信用金庫 and 福邦銀行, respectively.」

「We opened a joint bank-securities branch with 西京銀行, our comprehensive business partner, in March 2019 at the Yume Mall Shimonoseki branch. Joint operations within a large commercial complex enable us to reach a broad range of age groups, and we are working to expand our customer base.」

「We will continue providing solution services to address customers’ concerns, including inheritance, as well as initiatives to revitalize local communities in cooperation with regional financial institutions and local universities. We will also work to develop new services and establish partnerships with new organizations and institutions.」

「On 14 December 2017, we entered into a comprehensive business partnership with 第一勧業信用組合 (head office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo). By engaging in out-of-area collaboration (cross-border collaboration) that leverages the expertise and networks of both companies, we will provide both companies' customers with better services than before and contribute to customer growth and regional revitalization.」

「On 22 May 2017, we entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement with Kindai University to contribute to regional revitalization by leveraging each party’s strengths, including business matching and support for students and local residents in planning for their futures through financial literacy education.」

「The initiative “Developing local talent and supporting local companies through a cross-border internship program” was the only initiative selected from a securities company as a “notable initiative by a financial institution contributing to regional revitalization” by the Headquarters for Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy in Japan within the Cabinet Secretariat, and received an award from the Minister of State for Special Missions in charge of Regional Revitalization.」