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Will provide use of shared office space, group purchasing of renewable energy, and other new urban services

Tokyo—July 19, 2021—Hakuhodo Inc., Japanʼs second largest advertising company, is pleased to announce that MIRAI Business Division, its new business development unit, and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) today commenced full-scale testing of shibuya good pass, a civic co-creation urban development service in Tokyo’s Shibuya area.

shibuya good pass is a digital service developed by Hakuhodo for the Shibuya area toward realizing Sei-katsu-sha–Driven Smart Cities, an urban and town development scheme jointly implemented by Hakuhodo and Mitsui in which sei-katsu-sha* play a leading role.

By becoming a member of a web browser app, users gain access to “good experiences” in Shibuya, and can participate in urban development by suggesting and supporting ideas to make the area better.

With the key message “Making a good Shibuya together,” the project is designed to bring together people connected to Shibuya—people who live, work and do business there, as well as governmental and other stakeholders—to make their own area more convenient with their own hands. Other partners that provide services in Shibuya, including Future Design Shibuya and Shibuya City Tourism Association, are also taking part. The aim is to create a platform for social good services such as group use of shared office space, group purchasing of renewable energy, community support for people raising children and provision of store and event experiences that can only be had in Shibuya.

Hakuhodo has considered and developed systems for various participating services since the scheme was announced in November 2020. Today it begins test operating the membership page that will serve as a portal to these services. A variety of services will begin operating during the test period, which runs until September 30. There will be no charge to register for and use the portal during the test period.

Feedback and comments from users and participating service providers will be used to prepare for the full service launch.

The following shibuya good pass services for members are being tested.

(1) Good experiences in Shibuya: good ticket
Many coupons and tickets for use at shops and special events and lectures in Shibuya will be offered. Around 40 different tickets will be issued, including coupons for use at cafes, tickets to use shibuya good pass partner Realgate Inc.’s shared offices, and much more.

(2) A means of citizen participation
Provision of systems that allow citizens to participate in urban development, including the open platform decidim, which enables sei-katsu-sha to have a say in urban development and government; a questionnaire function for improving services; and a means of supporting projects put forward by sei-katsu-sha and companies with crowdfunding.

(3) Original urban services
Provision of the following three original shibuya good pass urban services will also commence:

good energy
An environmentally-friendly energy service that helps Shibuya. Purchasing from good energy’s group purchasing scheme enables users to reduce their regular electricity bills. Plus, a portion of purchases of the service’s environmentally-friendly, (effectively) renewable source electricity will be invested in supporting urban development and community activities in Shibuya.

good place
A workplace service that lets users choose the office they want, when they want it. At a time when the way we work has changed significantly due to the pandemic, good place provides workplaces in tune with new workstyles.

good mobi
A shared ride mobility service that allows users to take as many rides as they like within a specified area for a fixed monthly fee. Users can hail rides in small vehicles or microbuses depending on their needs using a smartphone app.

Hakuhodo’s MIRAI Business Division will continue to collaborate with companies, local authorities and a variety of other partners to contribute to the creation of better urban and town development and brighter future lives for sei-katsu-sha and others.

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