Geothermal Energy in Japan Can Power AI & Develop Rural Regions

Japan’s artificial intelligence ambitions will fail unless the country reforms its power strategy. At Akiyaz, we see this clearly: rural towns overflowing with potential but starved of energy and digital infrastructure. As Paul J. Ashton recently argued, AI doesn’t...

Japan’s Hoarding Problem Is Crippling Real Estate Value and Community Health

Shame, Silence, and the Scourge Within Japan’s hoarding problem is one of the country’s most widespread yet least acknowledged societal crises. Despite its prevalence across both urban and rural landscapes, discussion of it remains limited, stifled by cultural...

Rural Development in Japan Needs Future Thinking, Not False Nostalgia

When people talk about Japan’s shrinking countryside, they often reach for one phrase: rural development. But all too often, it gets replaced with “revitalization,” a term soaked in false nostalgia. That word choice matters. “Revitalization” assumes that rural Japan...

Akiya Market: Foreign Investment & Japanese Rural Revitalization

The recent Bloomberg article, “It’s Too Easy for Foreigners to Buy Property in Japan,” highlights growing concern about foreign investment in Japan, particularly in the akiya market, or Japan’s vast inventory of vacant homes. At Akiyaz, we take these...

Public-Private Toleration, Vacant Properties, and Rural Development

How Private Sector Initiatives and Vacant Properties Empower Rural Communities In Japan’s countryside, public-private toleration is the new frontier of rural development. By allowing private initiatives room to innovate, governments enable transformative projects on...

Japan Consumption Tax Debate & Rural Revitalization Strategies

Japan’s consumption tax has been politically sacrosanct since its 1989 introduction to temper asset-price speculation. Past hikes coincided with economic contractions, embedding a deep public aversion to adjustments. To move beyond stale debates, tax discussions must...

Regional Revitalization Demands Innovation, Not Tokyo Blame Games

Regional revitalization in Japan can no longer rely on outdated playbooks or misplaced blame. As governors urge more collaboration with the central government, disputes about metrics, marriage rates, and Tokyo’s magnetic pull are obscuring the real issue: without...

AI and Rural Life: Rewilding Through Regenerative Practices

When Smart Gets Too Fast, We Yearn for the Wild The more AI enters our lives, the more we feel the pull of the countryside. At Akiyaz, we’ve watched this shift accelerate. As technology grows faster, colder, and more predictive, our clients increasingly crave the...

Rural Japan Needs Entrepreneurs, Not Just Families

Rural Japan entrepreneurs are not just wanted, they’re essential. Despite ongoing rural revitalization efforts, most government policies still target families rather than founders. But if the Japanese countryside is to become more than a place of retreat, we...