A pilot project has been launched in Kami City, Kochi Prefecture, matching residents who need shopping assistance with residents who deliver purchases to stores. The project will run for approximately one month from 16 October 2026, with payments made using the local electronic money service kamica.
Kami City, the Kami City Chamber of Commerce, TOPPAN, a TOPPAN Holdings subsidiary, and toboso will conduct a pilot project connecting residents who need assistance with daily shopping and residents who deliver purchases from stores. Deliveries will use toboso’s shopping-focused delivery service, and payments will be made with kamica.
As rural depopulation and population aging progress and more people surrender their driving licences, the number of people who have difficulty shopping is increasing, while labor shortages in retail and logistics are becoming more severe. Community-based mutual-support delivery is therefore attracting attention. Kami City aims to expand the use of kamica and promote circulation within the local economy.
The project will run from 16 October to 15 November 2026 at the local supermarket “Value Kagamino” in Kami City. Its objectives are to assess demand for toboso, establish continued use of kamica and revitalize the local community. The process consists of 4 stages: ordering, matching, delivery and payment. The evaluation will focus on demand, matching accuracy and the workload of store-front operations.
The future goals are to address shopping difficulties associated with depopulation and population aging and establish a circulation model for the local currency. The project will examine whether linking Regional Pay® with toboso can contribute to solving issues faced across Japan.