OSAKA, Japan, Dec. 12, 2025 /Kyodo JBN/ --
Tsunagaru Inc., in collaboration with the City of Sapporo, hosted a press tour for foreign reporters in November, delivering a firsthand experience of Sapporo’s pioneering green transformation (GX) initiatives as the city aims to become Asia’s leading hub for green energy and finance.
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The tour began at the NIKKEI FORUM Global GX/Finance Conference, which Sapporo co-hosted on November 25. During the conference, the city announced the outline of a public-private investment fund aimed at unlocking Hokkaido’s renewable energy potential.
Sapporo pledges 500 million yen to the fund, which aims to raise 10 billion yen to invest in GX projects. The Hokkaido Bank, Ltd., and North Pacific Bank, Ltd., join as founding investors aiming to launch it in March 2026.
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Under the consortium "Team Sapporo-Hokkaido," Sapporo is working with companies and organizations to develop a regional GX ecosystem. During the media tour from November 25 to 27, reporters were guided around key ecosystem projects inside and outside the city.
The tour visited Hokkaido’s first large-scale commercial hydrogen station, Air Water Hydrogen Station Sapporo Odori East, which fully opened in Sapporo’s Chuo district in April. The station, operated by Air Water Inc., is capable of refueling large electric cell vehicles including buses and trucks, and is part of development of the city’s Hydrogen Model District.
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North of Sapporo, near Ishikari Bay, reporters toured Zero Emission Data Center ISHIKARI (ZED ISHIKARI), Japan’s first 24/7 carbon-free energy datacenter. Operated by Kyocera Communication Systems Co., ZED ISHIKARI went into service in October 2024. The datacenter is powered by nearby Ishikari Bay New Port Offshore Wind Farm as well as its own solar panels.
Sapporo is harnessing the city’s living and business environment, which enjoys a comfortable summer climate, urban greenery, and access to numerous tourism attractions, to encourage interest from investors and companies.
Reporters met staff from the city’s Sapporo Transnational Expansion and Partnership (STEP), a service offering support for foreign companies wanting to set up in the region. Reporters also spoke with an AI robotics company while visiting the STEP facility from Singapore.
Tsunagaru Inc. connects Japan's regional assets with the wider world and contributes to the sustainable development of regional economies through GX projects and use of local human resources.
Source: Tsunagaru Inc.