Bonds forged by sunflowers. Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town sign comprehensive partnership agreement to co-create the future!

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

On Wednesday, August 6th, Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town, Hokkaido, signed a comprehensive partnership agreement. Building on their collaborative relationship in the sunflower oil revitalization project, the two universities will collaborate in a wide range of fields, including smart agriculture, specialty product development, and wildlife control. By combining the power of industry and academia, the universities aim to promote local industry and realize a sustainable society. This marks the beginning of a new challenge to create a "connected population" through interactions between students and townspeople and pave the way for the town's future.

Bonds forged by sunflowers. Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town sign comprehensive partnership agreement to co-create the future!

On Wednesday, August 6th, a signing ceremony for a comprehensive partnership agreement between Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town was held at the Hokuryu Town Hall Health Center. The long-standing relationship built by Himawari will mark a major step in opening up the future of the region and the university.

Comprehensive collaboration agreement signing ceremony between Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town
Comprehensive collaboration agreement signing ceremony between Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town

Purpose of the agreement and collaborative projects

The comprehensive collaboration agreement aims to deepen academic research and enhance education by effectively utilizing the human, intellectual, and material resources of each party through industry-academia collaboration between Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town. The agreement also aims to contribute to the promotion of local industries, the sustainable development of the local economy, and the revitalization of the local community and the improvement of the welfare of residents.

Four main pillars of cooperation

  • Matters related to solving local issues
  • Education, research, and survey-related matters
  • Use of existing facilities and equipment for collaboration
  • Other matters necessary for cooperation

Scenes from the signing ceremony

Introducing the participants

The event was moderated by Yayoi Kawamoto of the City Future Strategy Division.

Introducing the attendees

  • Rakuno Gakuen University
    To everyone at Rakuno Gakuen University
    To everyone at Rakuno Gakuen University
    • President Hidetomo Iwano
    • Mr. Kentaro Koito, Dean of the School of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
    • Professor Shigeru Abe, Department of Food and Health Sciences, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Sciences
  • Hokuryu Town
    • Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki
    • Deputy Mayor Masaaki Okuda
    • Superintendent of Education Yoshiki Tanaka
Dear participants,
Dear participants,

Brief explanation of the agreement

Ryota Hashimoto, Chief of the Town Future Strategy Division, explained the history and purpose of the agreement.

"In Hokuryu Town, sunflower oil production ceased in 2003, so the Sunflower Oil Revival Project was established in 2015. Since 2016, with the assistance of Professor Shigeru Abe of Rakuno Gakuen University, we have been working to revitalize the local industry by improving the quality of sunflower oil.

"Through industry-academia collaboration, we aim to mutually and effectively utilize the resources of each party, deepen academic research and enhance education, as well as promote local industry, contribute to the sustainable development of the local economy, and contribute to the revitalization of the local community and the improvement of residents' welfare," explained Section Chief Hashimoto.

Brief explanation of the agreement
Brief explanation of the agreement

signing of an agreement

President Iwano and Mayor Sasaki signed the agreement and shook hands firmly.

signing of an agreement
signing of an agreement
agreement
agreement
The bond of agreement
The bond of agreement

photo shoot

commemorative photograph
commemorative photograph
With all of you!
With all of you!

Thoughts for the future: Greetings

Mayor of Hokuryu Town, Mr. Yasuhiro Sasaki

Greetings from Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki
Greetings from Mayor Yasuhiro Sasaki

"Thank you very much for today's comprehensive partnership agreement. Today's signing ceremony is something we have been longing for. The town has been closely watching Professor Abe as he has been conducting his research. I have personally seen the students working hard, and so have the townspeople. Seeing this relationship, the townspeople feel that this is a truly excellent dairy school.

I consulted with Professor Abe about how we could continue this, and I am truly happy and grateful that we have reached this point today.

We have signed the agreement today, but I believe that this is just the beginning, so I would like to ask for a long-term relationship with you.

Although it started with sunflower oil, I've heard that it is a comprehensive university that also covers food, agriculture, the environment, and smart agriculture. I hope you will make Hokuryu a "town where you can experiment" with all of these things. Thank you very much.

"We received a grant from the national government as part of the Regional Revitalization Grant 2.0 project, and have established a new department called the 'Town Future Strategy Division,' and starting this new fiscal year, Hokuryu Town is looking to the future. With the support of everyone at Rakuno Gakuen, and with the hopes of working together for Hokuryu, Sorachi, Hokkaido, and Japan, we would like to create the content of our comprehensive collaboration. Thank you very much for coming today," said Mayor Sasaki.

Thoughts on the future
Thoughts on the future

Mr. Hidetomo Iwano, President of Rakuno Gakuen University

Mr. Hidetomo Iwano, President of Rakuno Gakuen University
Mr. Hidetomo Iwano, President of Rakuno Gakuen University

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped us get to this point and to the agreement ceremony we have held today. I look forward to making a new start from here.

Based on the founding spirit of its founder, "Healthy Land, Healthy People," Rakuno Gakuen University has been working as a university that cultivates healthy human resources from agriculture and the soil.

With the recent decline in the population of 18-year-olds, questions are being raised about how regional universities should survive. There are over 800 universities across the country, and with the population expected to decline further from 2030 onwards, some estimates suggest that over 200 of these will be forced to close.

On the other hand, Hokkaido supports agriculture for the entire country of Japan, with a self-sufficiency rate exceeding 200%. However, the population and number of farmers, especially dairy farmers, are declining, including in Hokkaido.

In this context, we are discussing within the university what Rakuno Gakuen University should be like, and will launch a new department in 2026 that promotes a new form of agriculture, namely smart agriculture.

I believe that Rakuno Gakuen University is tasked with "supplying human resources that support local areas." If society is structured like a pyramid, even if only a few talented people run the top, society will collapse without the middle and foundational layers. These are "human resources that support the region," and Rakuno Gakuen University must cultivate such human resources. I reflect on this and realize that this was the will of our founder.

In the midst of all this, the connection over sunflower oil has led to a major collaboration between the university and Hokuryu Town. The university sees this collaboration as extremely significant. We hope to not only work on sunflowers, but also tackle local issues, bring our students with us, and work together with Hokuryu Town to support Hokkaido and Japan. We hope to use this wonderful connection as a starting point to further develop the relationship. We look forward to working with you in the future," said President Iwakura in his opening remarks.

Q&A: Specific collaborations and future prospects

1. Future challenges

Hokuryu Town: Establishing the sunflower brand and bird and animal damage

Mayor Sasaki talks about future challenges
Mayor Sasaki talks about future challenges
  • Mayor Sasaki:"Until now, we've often been asked about the relationship between the brand name 'Himawari' and the actual products. By turning sunflower oil pomace into fertilizer and using that fertilizer to grow rice, melons, and watermelons, all of the town's specialty products will be linked under the 'Himawari' brand. We've been discussing this since last year, and we believe it will be possible to grow crops using safe, high-quality sunflower fertilizer."
     
  • Mayor Sasaki:"We are also grateful to the Dairy Farm School for their desire to address the issue of bird and animal damage while placing importance on the importance of life."
     

▶︎Rakuno Gakuen University: Utilizing specialized knowledge

Leveraging expertise
Leveraging expertise
  • Professor Abe:"We have had a long-standing relationship with them regarding high-quality sunflower oil, and have had the opportunity to interact with our students every year. This latest partnership will be an agreement not just between our laboratory but with the entire university."
     
  • President Iwano:"Our university is based on the themes of 'agriculture, food, environment, and life.' For example, in the environmental field, we have specialized faculty members who analyze and analyse drone footage. By photographing vast areas of cultivated land from the air, it is possible to support efficient agricultural work. When it comes to damage caused by birds and wild animals, the issue is how to coexist with humans. Taking into account our track record in other regions, we will consider how to respond to this issue with Hokuryu Town in the future."
     

2. Specific collaboration between students and the town

  • President Iwano:"At our university, when students reach their senior years, they join research laboratories, go into the community with a theme, and use their science skills to work on solving problems. As a university, we would like to develop an interactive method that identifies problems through dialogue with local residents and allows students to contribute their ideas."
     
  • Professor Abe:"We feel that the lack of specialty products in Hokuryu is an issue in terms of revitalizing the economy. Our marketing specialists also say they want to find hidden resources in Hokuryu and use them to revitalize the region. We hope that marketing using sunflower oil as a starting point will lead to the development of specialty products and revitalization of the region."
     
  • Mayor Sasaki:"Interactions between students and townspeople have sparked conversations, and many townspeople have become aware of the town. It has evolved significantly over the past three years. Until now, we have been in the first phase, and now we are in the second phase. With the town's population falling below 1,600, maintaining the visiting population and related population is an important issue. When students who have visited once return a second or third time, they become part of the "related population." When we applied for the Regional Revitalization Grant, we set a KPI (numerical target) of "related population of 1,600 people." We will work hard to achieve this, so we ask for your continued support."
Challenges in expanding the relevant population!
Challenges in expanding the relevant population!

Commemorative photo at Himawari no Sato

After the signing ceremony, we moved to the sunflower village where the sunflowers were in full bloom and took commemorative photos. Everyone's smiles seemed to symbolize the bright future of Hokuryu Town.

To the sunflower village
To the sunflower village
With Sunflower Village in the background!
With Sunflower Village in the background!
In a special version!
In a special version!

With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we hope that this wonderful connection between Rakuno Gakuen University and Hokuryu Town will help both parties to shine even more brightly in the colors of the rainbow and continue to develop.

With gratitude for the rainbow bridge!
With gratitude for the rainbow bridge!

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