Communicate with foreigners using language support for business translations in 74 languages! Connect through a youth-created audio-guided stamp rally and tour the region.

Using the “Community Coexistence Support App” — developed through a joint research project with The University of Osaka and selected under the METI public call for verification projects of products and services toward a dementia-inclusive society (and also selected under Osaka Prefecture’s public call for NPO activity support projects addressing SDGs/social issues) — additional functionality equivalent to business-level translation in 74 languages will be added in 2025 to realize “a city where visitors to Japan and resident foreigners alike can converse with anyone and connect with the community.”

• A single app will support in-person interpretation and automatic translation of attached documents.
• An administrative dashboard will enable creation of audio-guided, quiz-enabled stamp rallies to promote local attractions.
• In the event of a lost person, the system will enable requesting assistance from nearby app users, creating a community that watches over and supports one another.

Project Inauguration

In 2023, with support from Osaka Prefecture, a citizen-led DX initiative that valued “let’s try it ourselves!” implemented audio-guided stamp rallies and community watch activities in collaboration with 15 municipalities across the prefecture and about 60 universities, high schools, and organizations, demonstrating the creation of intergenerational connections.

For 2025, with the aim of realizing the SDG principle of “leaving no one behind” and creating a city where local communities can connect with resident foreign children and families without language barriers through the Expo, preparations are underway to introduce business-level translation functionality supporting 74 languages with technical cooperation from national universities and IT companies.

Project Activities

• Selected for METI’s “Verification Projects of Products and Services toward a Dementia‑Inclusive Society”
• Selected for the Toyota Foundation’s Domestic Grant Program
• Awarded a “Best Practice” by the Cabinet Office’s Local Revitalization SDGs Public‑Private Partnership Platform
• Selected for Chiba University’s International Advanced Research Center: Research Support Program
• Selected for Osaka Prefecture’s “Social Issue Resolution Projects for Achieving SDGs through Support for NPO Activities”
• Appointed Project Coordinator for the Osaka Smart City Forum (OSPF) project
• Selected for Osaka Prefecture’s “Connected Community Spaces Project”
• The Community Coexistence Support App has approximately 3 million downloads and is linked for watch‑over cooperation with around 100 municipalities nationwide (15 municipalities within Osaka Prefecture).
• Approximately 60 universities, high schools, and organizations—mostly in the Kansai region—participate in community building using the app.

Future Prospects for the EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai

Utilizing business‑level translation support for 74 languages (including on‑site simultaneous interpretation and automatic translation for SNS information dissemination), efforts will begin in May to remove language barriers for resident foreign support organizations, junior high and high schools, community kitchens for children, medical and long‑term care settings, and shopping streets.

• Pilot preparations are underway at junior high and high schools, children’s cafeterias, and multicultural support organizations in Osaka City.
• Implementations are planned at Minami Midosuji Shopping Street, Kyobashi Station Shopping Association, Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, Asahi Shopping Street, and others.
• Findings will be presented at the Expo venue symposium hosted by the Osaka Prefectural Welfare Bureau on September 15, 2025.