Successful Projects Selected for the TOTTEOKI Project

1. Outline of the project

METI inaugurated a new project titled “Project for Expanding Demands of Overseas Visitors to Japan through Co-creation with Overseas Experts” (commonly called “TOTTEOKI Project”) under the FY2019 Supplementary Budget. In this project, selected SMEs and other companies will make up teams and advance efforts in collaboration with overseas experts in the fields of lifestyles and demands in overseas countries, such as brushing up their commercial products and services, deploying PR activities, calling public attention and building sales channels, thereby achieving regional branding based on enhancement of value added, which is tailored to the demands of visitors to Japan from overseas countries. Through this project, METI aims to contribute not only to increasing consumption by tourists and encouraging regional industries but also to vitalizing regional economies and other activities.

Applicants of the successful projects are eligible to enjoy subsidies for part of the expenses for their projects and support measures by escorting mentors provided by the secretariat. Knowhow on expanding demands as an outcome of the project will be broadly publicized through progress reports, project debriefings and other opportunities on the project website.

METI will aim to: spread enhanced presence and improved branding power of SMEs across overseas countries to attract overseas visitors to Japan; and build a virtuous cycle for attracting overseas visitors to Japan and attracting overseas demands to Japanese products and services in other countries in a manner that the cycle will contribute to consumption of Japanese products and services by overseas visitors after they return to their own countries.

2. Successful projects

METI selected 12 successful projects through screening by outside experts, from the viewpoints of concreteness of the business plans, competitiveness in markets, feasibility of the project and other criteria.

Number of applicants: 26

Number of successful projects: 12 (for outlines of these projects, see the Appendix)

3. Future Schedule

July 31 (Fri), 2020: Kickoff event (to be held online)

Around November 2020: Debriefing on the interim report

Around January 2021: Debriefing on the final report

Note: METI will discuss how to hold the debriefings on the interim report and the final report, e.g., online style, taking into consideration the current situation of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

For details of the successful projects, visit the following website operated by the secretariat.

• Totteoki Project (in Japanese)

Related document

• List of Projects for Expanding Demands of Overseas Visitors to Japan through Co-creation with Overseas Experts (in Japanese) (PDF:174KB)

Division in Charge

Cool Japan Policy Division, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group