On Tuesday, March 3th, the "KING AXIS FUTURE FORUM" was held, hosted by Yokohama Minato Mirai 11 General Incorporated Association and co-hosted by the Yokohama Future Organization.
The theme, "KING AXIS," is one of the pedestrian zones in the Minato Mirai area, and is an urban axis that runs from the east exit of Yokohama Station to the Shin-Takashima area and Rinko Park. Currently, the area around King Axis is home to a diverse array of knowledge, including offices, R&D facilities, shops, elementary schools, parks, condominiums, and hotels, making it a highly promising area for co-creation and new innovation.
In order to tap this potential and continue to put this activity into practice, we held this forum with the aim of forming a consortium that will serve as a platform centered on the King Axis and Shin-Takashima area.
The venue for this event is the Yokohama Sympho Stage Info Tower, 3rd floor, right next to King Axis.chilink WORKSITE MINATOMIRAI" There were about 40 participants on the day. Not only did we have companies with research bases in Minato Mirai, but also key people in urban development such as Pacifico Yokohama and Yokohama Grand Gate participated, making it an opportunity to stay connected even after the forum ended.
This time, real-time graphic recording was also carried out! The keynote speech and panel discussion were summarized and shared with the attendees at the end. It was well received, with everyone saying, "Amazing!" and "Easy to understand."
The keynote speaker this time was
Noboru Konno, Professor at Tama University Graduate School and Representative Director of Japan Innovation Network General Incorporated Association.
In a lecture entitled "Innovation from Cities," he spoke about the challenges and changes facing modern cities, and what is needed to create cities that can generate innovation. He explained that in the EU, citizen-centered innovation is being generated through a quadruple helix model in which industry, government, citizens, and academia cooperate with each other.
The King Axis is where people, companies and universities have started to gather. It reminded me that the next step is to create a platform for interaction, and that having one will help maximize the potential of the city.
Then, we held a panel discussion with the following four companies from around King Axis.
From the left
Koji Matsushita, Deputy General Manager, Planning Division, Avan Associates Co., Ltd.
Yuko Nakanishi, Group Manager, Brand Value Development Research Institute, Shiseido Co., Ltd.
Yamaha Corporation Research and Development Division, Advanced Technology Development Department, New Value Group Leader, Mr. Takashi Mori
Mr. Takumi Hayashi, President and CEO, Yokohama International Peace Congress Center Co., Ltd.
Moderator: Kenji Kojima, Representative of designMeME
The discussion was a meaningful opportunity to share and debate each other's knowledge and efforts on themes such as how to solve social issues and start businesses, and how to foster interaction between workers and form communities. During the discussion, the branding of Minato Mirai was raised as something that the government should also get involved in. Minato Mirai offers experiences and people you can only find there. Many people expressed a desire to further increase the value of Minato Mirai through collaboration between industry, academia, and government.
Going forward, Yokohama Future Organization will continue to build close relationships with area management organizations, actively engage with R&D companies in the Shin-Takashima/King Axis area, and contribute to the formation of an ecosystem on a city-wide scale.