Oita Sets 2026 Strategy and Budget Plan

On October 21, Oita Prefecture held a press conference to announce its core policy direction for fiscal year 2026, including a set of 12 strategic focus areas and the basic framework for the upcoming budget.

The prefecture plans to allocate a special budget of 2.5 billion yen to support these strengthened strategies, while maintaining overall fiscal discipline by keeping other expenditures flat or lower.

12 Strategic Policy Themes for 2026

Oita Prefecture outlined the following 12 key themes to guide its policy and investment priorities in 2026:

1. Promoting Wage Growth and Industrial Competitiveness

（Example）

• Support businesses in passing on costs, ensuring business succession, and developing product brands

• Assist startups and entrepreneurs in launching new ventures

• Help semiconductor and automotive firms expand sales channels

2. Enhancing Disaster Resilience

（Example）

• Strengthen disaster response capabilities, including pilot programs for drone deployment in disaster zones

• Reduce damage to agricultural, forestry, and fisheries infrastructure

• Address aging public infrastructure

3. Advancing Tourism, Local Consumption, and International Exchange

（Example）

• Support tourism industry development tailored to international market needs

• Promote local food innovation and product redesign

• Introduce cutting-edge technologies such as flying cars and drones into society

• Deepen international partnerships formed during the Osaka Expo

• Expand outreach to emerging overseas markets

4. Becoming a Leader in Childcare, Health, and Inclusion

（Example）

• Provide life-stage support from dating to parenting

• Encourage health management using ICT tools

• Promote home and online medical care

• Facilitate employment matching for people with disabilities

5. Building a Safe and Inclusive Society

（Example）

• Strengthen support systems for foreign residents

• Provide life assistance to residents in aging and depopulated areas

• Ensure food safety

• Enhance measures against fraud and bicycle theft

6. Securing and Developing Human Resources

（Example）

• Promote reskilling for youth through technical colleges

• Support telework employment opportunities

• Improve career development environments for women

• Expand acceptance of foreign care workers

• Secure drivers for local transport and logistics sectors

7. Strengthening Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

（Example）

• Support business expansion for farmers and agribusinesses

• Encourage capital-rich companies to enter the agricultural sector

• Consolidate farmland, as well as forest areas

• Diversify fisheries management

• Promote smart agriculture technologies such as automated machinery

• Expand production of key horticultural crops

• Boost sales of local products using cold-chain logistics

• Promote exports of local primary products based on overseas demand

8. Promoting Sports and the Arts

（Example）

• Reassess and improve sports facilities to revitalize local communities

• Leverage sports events for regional development

• Expand access to arts and cultural experiences

• Improve access to Oita Sports Park via smart highway interchanges

9. Enhancing Transportation Infrastructure

（Example）

• Advance plans for the East Kyushu Shinkansen and improved links with Shikoku

• Strengthen airport and port capabilities, including facilities for large ferries Promote maritime modal shift

• Develop ports into international logistics hubs

10. Advancing Environmental Sustainability

（Example）

• Support carbon reduction efforts in businesses

• Promote industrial waste sorting and processing technologies

• Encourage stay-type use of Aso-Kujū National Park

• Support hydrogen supply chain development

• Expand the use of renewable energy

11. Driving Digital Transformation (DX)

（Example）

• Apply advanced technologies in criminal investigations

• Integrate AI and digital tools into public administration

• Support ICT adoption in the construction industry

12. Enhancing Educational Environments

（Example）

• Restructure academic departments to foster distinctive learning programs

• Implement remote learning tailored to student proficiency levels

• Promote international student exchanges

• Increase deployment of teaching assistants to reduce teacher workloads