"Working in Ishikawa / WORK & Lifestyle Seminar" for Those Who Want to Work in Manufacturing in Ishikawa Prefecture to Be Held on Friday, February 14! Also Features Talk Events with Game Engineers and Furniture Makers

The Ishikawa "Second Hometown" Promotion Executive Committee (within the Ishikawa Prefectural Regional Promotion Division) announced that the "Working in Ishikawa / WORK & Lifestyle Seminar" will be held on Friday, February 14, 2025, for those who wish to work in manufacturing in Ishikawa Prefecture.
This seminar will consist of two sections: a talk session and an information session, where participants can hear firsthand experiences from active IT engineers and furniture makers, as well as receive introductions to companies and schools for skill development.

From Ishikawa Prefecture to the Global Game Market! Latest Information on Artisan Towns Where the Fusion of Tradition and Trends Creates Exchange

PR TIMES

The Ishikawa "Second Hometown" Promotion Executive Committee will hold the "Working in Ishikawa / WORK & Lifestyle Seminar" online on Friday, February 14, 2025.
This seminar will be divided into two sections: a talk session and an information session.
In the talk session, guests, including an IT engineer working at a game company in Kanazawa City and a person who moved to Komatsu City and started a business as a furniture maker, will share their experiences of learning in Ishikawa Prefecture from scratch, developing skills, and fulfilling their dreams of working in their desired fields.

In the information session, participants can learn about support measures for relocation and starting a business in Ishikawa Prefecture, as well as the latest information on active individuals, companies, and schools for skill development. This will focus on areas where game creators are active, such as Kanazawa City, Hakusan City, and Nonoichi City, and areas where interaction between traditional craftspeople and young artisans who have moved there is thriving, such as Komatsu City.

Background of the Seminar

The Ishikawa "Second Hometown" Promotion Executive Committee, which promotes the expansion of migration and exchange populations in Ishikawa Prefecture, provides information from various perspectives, considering I-turns, U-turns, and the creation of related populations.
As the third installment of the "Ishikawa WORK & Lifestyle Seminar," which introduces various creators in the prefecture, this event will feature an introduction to regions such as Kanazawa City, where game companies with expanding domestic and international markets are gathered.
It will also discuss Komatsu City, which inherits the artisan culture that flourished in the land of Kaga Hyakumangoku, represented by "Kutani ware", and the environment and potential surrounding manufacturing jobs in Ishikawa Prefecture and the markets expected to expand in the future.

The Current State of Ishikawa Prefecture's Manufacturing Industry

The Game Industry and Ishikawa Prefecture ~Kanazawa City, Hakusan City, and Nonoichi City Where the Game Industry is Thriving~

According to the CESA Game Industry Report 2024, the global game and content market surpassed 20 trillion yen in 2020 and has continued to increase, now expanding to 29.5 trillion yen.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Survey on the Actual Conditions of Media and Software Production and Distribution (R6)" shows that in Japan, due to increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase of over 1.4 trillion yen since 2020, with further expansion expected due to the emergence of telecommunications content and esports.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, the number of IT software businesses has rapidly increased since 2005.
Among them, many game companies are concentrated mainly in Kanazawa City, Hakusan City, and Nonoichi City.
Support systems specifically for IT are also well-established, and representative game companies in Hokuriku, such as "Gransella," have emerged, utilizing the Ishikawa Industrial Creation Support Organization (ISICO) system.

On the other hand, according to the Ishikawa Prefectural Industrial Promotion Guideline (established in September 2023), there is a shortage of personnel to lead the game industry, and securing human resources involved in content industries such as game creators and engineers is said to be an urgent issue.
In response to this situation, Ishikawa Prefecture is leveraging the presence of game companies within the prefecture to promote industry-academia collaboration between the game industry and local IT schools and universities.
Efforts to attract creators and develop human resources are also active.
In July 2024, "LAKUNA Hakui", an esports-dedicated studio, opened in Hakui City, and initiatives aimed at human resource development and expanding the exchange population are also being implemented.

Craftspeople and Ishikawa Prefecture ~Komatsu City, a City of Monozukuri~

With the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen Komatsu Station in March 2024, accessibility has improved, and Komatsu City, which is gaining attention as a base for tourism and business, has developed as a "city of monozukuri (crafting)" with textile industries such as silk weaving and traditional crafts such as Kutani ware ceramics.
"Komatsu", a global top manufacturer of construction machinery, is a good example.

Komatsu City has a history of prosperity as a city of manufacturing since the Edo period, when artisans gathered in the castle town due to the industrial promotion policies of Lord Maeda Toshitsune.
Currently, about 30% of the working population is engaged in manufacturing.
According to the 2020 National Census, after the machine industry, many people are engaged in textiles and furniture.
Furthermore, the city is proactive in interacting with artisans and inheriting skills, with Komatsu City's monozukuri support system and "GEMBA Monozukuri Expo 2024," which offer a supportive environment where you can easily experience actual production sites.
Against this background, the number of immigrants engaged in manufacturing has increased, and combined with the inherent dexterity and strong teamwork of the people of Komatsu, industries that fuse tradition and new sensibilities are being created.

Seminar Content

The seminar content will be largely divided into three parts.
Let's look at them one by one.

Introducing Ishikawa Prefecture's Support Information! (Relocation & Entrepreneurship Support Edition)

The first part introduces support systems for relocation and entrepreneurship in Ishikawa Prefecture.
It would be beneficial to utilize information from the prefecture to aid in relocation and starting a business.

Introducing Regions × Industries and How to Learn!

The second part provides information on companies and schools.
Ishikawa Prefecture has many attractive areas, from regions surrounded by nature to historical townscapes and places where traditional culture remains.
This time, there will be an introduction to various companies and school information for skill improvement or learning from scratch, focusing on areas where many game companies are gathered, such as Kanazawa City, Nonoichi City, and Hakusan City, and areas where manufacturing artisans are gathered, such as Komatsu City.
This section is a must-see for those who want to work in professions such as programming, game development, web design, sound engineering, comics, crafts, and furniture making.

Game Engineer × Furniture Maker! Guest Talk and Q&A Session

The third part will be a real talk about work and life by two guests who achieved their dreams.
Guests who learned what they loved, such as crafts, games, and interiors, and turned them into careers, will talk in detail about where they learned, where they gained experience and skills, how they linked it to their work, and what triggered them to start their businesses.
Additionally, the game engineer will discuss their current work and fellow game creators who have moved and are active, while the furniture maker will discuss creating an environment where they can collaborate with fellow craftspeople and tips for regional exchange, covering their past activities and future plans.

Seminar Registration is Now Open!

The "Working in Ishikawa / WORK & Lifestyle Seminar" will be held on Friday, February 14, 2025.
Participation in the seminar is free, but the capacity is 50 people, so be sure to apply early!
This seminar is recommended for those who are interested in jobs in the game industry, those who want to become furniture or craftspeople, and those who want to learn about manufacturing professionally and find an environment to work in.
It also seems useful as a place for information exchange for those who are considering moving to Ishikawa Prefecture in the future.
This event will also be held online, and a "distribution URL" will be sent in advance to those who apply.
If you are unable to participate in real-time on the day, an archived video will be sent via email later, so feel free to apply.
For details and application for the seminar, please visit the Ishikawa Living Information Square's seminar page.