Regional Revitalization Research Center (RCRR)

Teikyo University Research Center for Regional Revitalization was established at the university's Utsunomiya Campus in November 2015. The purpose of this center is to conduct research that contributes to the revitalization of the local economy. To that end, we hope to deepen exchanges and collaborate with the various entities that support the local community.

The activities of this center are carried out in close conjunction with those of Department of Regional Economics Faculty of Economics, established in April 2011, and Division of Regional Economics and Policy (Master's Degree Program) in Graduate School Graduate School of Economics, established in April 2016. Based on School Philosophy and Educational Philosophy of our university, these two educational organizations aim to cultivate highly skilled professionals with strong regional contribution capabilities, creativity, and a rich sense of humanity.
This center has held various symposia in collaboration with local communities. Themes include "Regional Revitalization and Tochigi's Challenges" (2015), "Emergent Community Development and Decarbonization" (2016), "Tochigi Agriculture's Efforts" (2017), and "The Current State and Future of Industrial Clusters in Tochigi Prefecture" (2019). Although temporarily suspended from 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the symposia resumed in 2024 once the situation stabilized, and the symposium "Creating Innovation in the Region: Co-creation by Regions, Companies, and Universities" (2024) was held. In addition, the center publishes Teikyo University Research Center for Regional Revitalization Annual Report every year, which includes research papers on local communities by the center's researchers and faculty members of Department of Regional Economics, as well as reports on fieldwork conducted by seminars in the department.
Going forward, this center intends to contribute to regional revitalization by collaborating not only with faculty and staff but also with various stakeholders in the local community.

At the same time as the center was launched, the intention to conduct joint research with two shopping districts in the Orion Street district of Utsunomiya City, one of the busiest shopping districts in Tochigi Prefecture (Utsunomiya Orion Street Shopping District Promotion Association and Orion Street Magarimachi Commercial Cooperative Association) arose, and a signing ceremony for a "Mutual Cooperation Agreement on Research into Revitalizing the City Center" was held at the same time as the press conference announcing the center's establishment.
Based on this agreement, a joint survey and research was conducted with the shopping district, led by Professor Mitsuo Yamakawa of Department of Regional Economics and his seminar students.

Utsunomiya Campus and Bunsei University of Art, both located in Utsunomiya City and relatively close to each other, have signed an agreement to promote cooperation and exchange in education and research. Utsunomiya Campus, which has departments of science and engineering, medicine, and economics, and Bunsei University of Art, which has an arts department, have great potential to promote cooperation and exchange in education and research.
This agreement has led to the launch of new educational and research activities, such as joint research between science and engineering and arts departments (such as digital manga) and the involvement of both universities in the management of the center.

Utsunomiya Campus Campus club "Teikyo Utsunomiya Urban Development Study Group" and the Utsunomiya-based bus company "Kanto Bus Co., Ltd." have been continuing to exchange opinions since the Utsunomiya City "Urban Development Proposals by University Students" project, and as part of this, a workshop was held exclusively on campus, co-hosted by the Urban Development Study Group and Center. In addition to members of the Study Group and Center and bus operators, faculty, staff and students from the university also participated, and a wide range of opinions were exchanged regarding not only commuting to and from the university, but also the use of public transportation in a broader perspective.

This year, the Center participated as a co-host in the Department Department of Regional Economics Symposium, which is held annually at Utsunomiya Campus. The symposium, with the theme of "Emergent Regional Development and Mitigating Global Warming," concluded with great success. Details of the symposium are published in the "Reports" section of the Regional Revitalization Research Center Annual Report.
 

The University of Tokyo's Center for Future Vision Research Visiting Professor welcomed Hiroko Akiyama to deliver the keynote speech, "Challenges and Possibilities for a Longevity Society: Innovation through Co-creation by Industry, Government, Academia and the Private Sector," followed by a panel discussion moderated by department faculty and including local panelists (Tochigi Central Region Community Development Council, Tochigi Bank, Utsunomiya City Hall, Department of Regional Economics faculty members). A panel discussion was held, moderated by a faculty member from the department.
With the participation of 29 working people (including Sendai City Council members and the Shimono Shimbun) and 96 students, the panel discussed "how innovation, including DX-enabled innovation, should be created in the region" and the "importance of collaboration and co-creation among the region, companies, and universities" in an environment where an escape from the deflationary economy is expected.