Two Tokyo-based IT companies are set to open offices on the island of Himeshima, Oita Prefecture. System developers BrainNet (Chiyoda, Tokyo) and app developers Ruby (Chuo, Tokyo) responded to Oita Prefecture’s efforts to promote the establishment of satellite offices in the area. They are the first companies to expand their business operations to the island, which has a population of under 2,000 people, in nearly 40 years. The science block of the former Himeshima Elementary School will be refurbished, fitted with a high-speed network system, and leased out as offices. The two companies hope to be up and running on the island from December, with each company looking to take on three local employees. After five years, Ruby is aiming to have around fifteen staff based in the Himeshima office, while BrainNet is planning to have a workforce of about ten. In the past five years the island has seen its population gradually decrease, and it is hoped that the presence of these two companies in the region will encourage more businesses to set up offices in remote parts of the prefecture. Source: Nikkei Shimbun, 7/20/2017
Photo: さかおり
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