LY Communications

Working together with Fukuoka City to create a richer, more convenient and future-oriented city through advanced technologies of AI and Fintech

LINE Corporation (Head Office: Shinjuku, Tokyo, CEO and Representative Director: Takeshi Idezawa) and LINE Fukuoka Cooperation (Head Office: Hakata, Fukuoka, Representative Director/President/CEO: Mr. Noritaka Ochiai) concluded the "Comprehensive Partnership Agreement on Community Collaboration Projects" with Fukuoka City today.

Following the conclusion of the Information Provision Fortification Tie-up Agreement between LINE and Fukuoka City in 2016, Fukuoka City’s LINE Official Account, which was opened the following year, now has as many as 340,000 registered users. In addition to the information provision measures, in June, the LINE group, including LINE and LINE Fukuoka, was selected to lead the Fukuoka City Full Support Verification Test Project related to the “Cashless” initiative.

This time, in order to expand on the area of partnership, LINE and LINE Fukuoka have concluded a new agreement—Comprehensive Partnership Agreement on Community Collaboration Projects—with Fukuoka City. We will work to realize a city with a quality of life that is richer, more convenient and future-oriented through AI and Fintech.

In this agreement, we are planning to carry out the following seven partnership projects:

1. （１）Matters relating to strengthening information provision from Fukuoka City
2. （２）Matters relating to improving efficiency of administrative services of Fukuoka City by reinforcement measures and solutions-based approach.
3. （３）Matters relating to stimulating consumer activities in Fukuoka City
4. （４）Matters relating to supportive activities of corporations with business sites in Fukuoka City and the development of highly skilled human resources
5. （５）Matters relating to disaster prevention and our countermeasures in Fukuoka City
6. （６）Matters relating to activities to improve the ICT literacy in Fukuoka City
7. （７）In addition to the items listed above, matters relating to revitalization of Fukuoka City and improvement of civil services

①Stimulating consumer activities
We plan to undertake trial projects at various locations in Fukuoka City, encompassing Yatai food stalls, sports and cultural facilities. As the first step, we will proceed with “Mirai Yatai (future outdoor food stalls)”. With a concept of "new experience at Yatai", we will conduct a trial run for a limited period of time in order for the Fukuoka residents to enjoy Yatai smoothly without waiting. We will create a LINE account in which an AI chatbot gives recommendations on Yatais. Users can check for available seats and waiting time, and pay cashless by LINE Pay. Its multi-language display responds to the needs of foreign tourists.

②Improving efficiency of administrative and civil services
We are planning to launch a LINE account to test the collection of large-sized trash by using an AI chatbot in September. Users can complete the application on LINE in about one minute by selecting the type of large-sized trash and the desired collection date. Fukuoka will be the first municipal government in Japan to introduce a system in which applications for large-sized trash collection can be done on LINE accounts.
While conducting the verification test, we will consider whether to add a cashless payment feature or not.

In addition, we will make efforts to further energize Fukuoka City and improve its civil services through various projects. For example, we will continue to provide informational services given out by the city government on its LINE Official Account; and stimulate consumer activities by introducing LINE Pay at the Fukuoka International Film Festival on a trial basis. Furthermore, we will support the ongoing activities of local companies and development of highly skilled technical personnel through engineer support courses jointly hosted by Fukuoka Growth Next and LINE. We will also actively devise disaster prevention and countermeasures, for instance, by the transmission of disaster information via Fukuoka City’s LINE Official Account, as well as activities to improve ICT literacy for elementary and junior high school students.

We will give away special stickers of “Fukuoka City~Smart City×LINE” to users who add Fukuoka City’s LINE Official Account (LINE ID: @fukuokacity) as their friend in the hope that our endeavors will further penetrate the minds of Fukuoka residents. This campaign starts today and will last until November 20 (valid for 180 days after download).

The LINE group will continue to actively engage in projects utilizing LINE's service infrastructure and partner with local governments.

Purpose: We will work in collaboration aiming at richer, more convenient, and future-oriented town development. This will be achieved by bringing together each other’s resources and strengths through the utilization of advanced technologies to solve social challenges, further revitalizing Fukuoka City to improve civil services.

Agreement period: From the date of conclusion of the agreement until March 31, 2019 (to be automatically extended for one year if there is no intention to cancel the agreement)

Corporate Name

LINE Corporation

Head Office Location

JR SHINJUKU MIRAINA TOWER 23rd FL., 4-1-6 Shinjuku,Shinjuku-ku,Tokyo,160-0022

Representative

Takeshi Idezawa Chief Executive Officer

Established

September 4, 2000 (Changed trade name from NHN Japan Corporation to LINE Corporation on April 1, 2013)

Main Business Content

Development, Operation, Advertising Sales, AI/IoT -related Business of a Communication App, LINE, Contents and Services Developed on the LINE Platform, and Other Web Services

Corporate Name

LINE Fukuoka Corporation

Head Office Location

JRJP Hakata Bldg. 12F, 8-1 Hakataekichuogai, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture 812-0012

Representative

Noritaka Ochiai, Representative Director/President/CEO

Established

November 18, 2013

Main Business Content

Development, Creative, Operation, Planning, etc., of LINE and LINE related services