Sendai City has been supporting social entrepreneurs across the Tohoku region for more  than a decade. These efforts represent a steady accumulation of practices that transform  regional challenges into sustainable growth. So why has Sendai City placed such a strong emphasis on this field? 

Tohoku is the vast northern stretch of Japan’s main island that begins roughly 125 miles north of Tokyo and continues all the way up to the tip of Honshu. As the largest city in Tohoku, Sendai plays a leading role in driving the region forward. At  the same time, Tohoku’s population has declined by approximately 17% over the past 30 years. In this context, Sendai has adopted a key perspective: “Sendai alone cannot achieve  sustainable growth.” Urban development depends on the health of the broader region— based on this understanding, the city has worked to revitalize the entire ecosystem. This direction was decisively shaped by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. In the aftermath, there was a rise in entrepreneurs in Sendai who were driven to address social issues. Rather than simply launching businesses, more individuals began pursuing ventures motivated by a desire to “make society better.” 

In response to these changes, Sendai City positioned support for social entrepreneurs as a  core strategic priority. The objectives are clear. One is to address regional challenges that are difficult to reach through existing systems, thereby improving citizens’ well-being. The other is to scale these solutions as sustainable  businesses, strengthening the resilience of the regional economy. At the heart of this strategy is the accelerator program “SIA (Tohoku Social Impact  Accelerator),” launched in 2017. To date, it has supported more than 90 social  entrepreneurs. In addition to SIA, which targets seed-stage ventures, the city now also  operates “SIB (Social Impact Booster)” for early-stage startups, providing support tailored  to different growth phases. 

Let us now look at some of the changes that have emerged from these initiatives. Ayako Sasaki, a participant in SIA and Representative Director of the nonprofit organization  STORIA, has been addressing child poverty through community-based support initiatives.  In collaboration with Sendai City, her organization now conducts outreach to socially  isolated families and provides support for single-parent households, handling approximately  7,000 consultations annually. 

Another example is Hideyuki Hirayama, a participant in SIB and CEO of Algonurse Inc.,  which he founded in 2025. The company addresses the issue of nurse shortages and turnover by offering an AI-powered career support application. By recommending  workplaces based on on-the-ground feedback and individual values, it aims to reduce  mismatches and encourage inactive nurses to return to the workforce. 

These examples demonstrate that solving social challenges and creating economic value can  go hand in hand. Equally important is the fact that these efforts are not isolated—they are  being built as an ecosystem. This offers an important lesson for other municipalities as well. What matters is not only  implementing individual support measures, but also designing “spaces” and “ongoing  relationships” that connect entrepreneurs and supporters. In Sendai, follow-up support such as event invitations and one-on-one consultations continues even after program completion, helping to sustain and deepen relationships with entrepreneurs. 

Information on future initiatives is shared through Sendai City’s website and other channels. Through such continuous support and network-building efforts, the ecosystem for social entrepreneurs in Tohoku is expected to expand even further in the years ahead.

This blog is written by Yuma Kawahara from the Startup Support Division, Economic Affairs Bureau, Sendai City. To find out more about the Sendai Startup Studio visit their website.