Helping Revitalize Regional Economies through a Broader Approach to Agribusiness

Agribusiness offers a significant opportunity for the revitalization of regional economies. This is because of the hidden potential it offers as a pillar of Japan’s industrial policy for promoting sixth-order industrialization with agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries. The Nomura Group is supporting the growth of community based agricultural industries through Nomura Agri Planning & Advisory Co. Ltd. (NAPA) by leveraging the financial services know-how and information gathering capabilities of Nomura’s nationwide branch office network. NAPA utilizes expertise gained from experimental farms located in Chiba and Hokkaido to support companies that are newcomers to agriculture, to assist in the development of a new agricultural business model for areas damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, and to host seminars with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to encourage sixth-order industrialization across Japan.

Supporting the Establishment and Management of Regional Funds

The Nomura Group has been involved in the establishment and management of funds by regional banks, such as Akita Bank’s “Akita Regional Revitalization Assistance Fund No. 2” and Yamagata Bank’s “Yamagata Regional Growth Fund.” These funds seek to incubate local companies engaged in future growth fields, including renewable energies.

Taking Part in Commercialization Projects through Industry-Academia Partnerships

The Nomura Group considers the lack of accumulated expertise in commercialization as a major issue facing today’s industry-academia partnerships. To solve this, the Nomura Group is committed to proactively providing the know-how that it has accumulated over many years in the field. In April 2013, Nomura Holdings and Nomura Securities were recognized as “Project Promoters” for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s “Program for Creating STart-ups from Advanced Research and Technology” (START). Under this program, Project Promoters partner with universities to cultivate their research and development into viable businesses. To that end, the Nomura Group is fully utilizing its network and functions to create the new industries and new markets of the future.

Helping Revitalize Regional Medicine through Healthcare Initiatives

The healthcare industry in Japan is expected to grow on the back of the country’s slowing birthrate and aging population, but the industry also faces serious social challenges, such as how to strengthen its management structure and improve its financial standing. The Nomura Group is helping to secure the safety of regional medicine, revitalize regional economies and generate employment opportunities through healthcare and nursing care consulting and the provision of financial solutions by Nomura Healthcare Co., Ltd. In FY2012/13, Nomura provided consulting services on the construction of new hospitals in the Kinki region of Japan.