During his tenure as Chairman of the Kyushu Economic Federation, Mr. Aso prioritised tourism and agriculture, recognising them as Kyushu’s key strengths. In his keynote speech, he will discuss some of the initiatives he implemented in these two areas.

In terms of tourism, the idea behind the “Tour de Kyushu” was that holding cycling races in each prefecture and unifying them into one event would be more exciting. Launched in 2023, it initially involved three prefectures: Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Oita. In 2026, Saga Prefecture will join, bringing the total to six.

In agriculture, he set up a trading company to export Kyushu’s produce to Asia. These initiatives were made possible precisely because the entire Kyushu business community came together. He emphasises that Kyushu should continue to focus its efforts on attracting overseas tourists and promoting agriculture and fisheries. Under the theme of “Move Japan Forward from 九州 (Kyushu),” he will continue to move and keep things moving.