SUNDRED Inc. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO & GM: Masanobu Tome, hereinafter referred to as SUNDRED), an "ecosystem builder aiming to co-create 100 new industries," will, as the joint venture "Akita Living Lab" with Akita Northern Happinets Co., Ltd. (Akita City, Akita Prefecture; President: Yuki Mizuno, hereinafter referred to as Akita Northern Happinets), once again be in charge of the operational secretariat for the youth support project "Shin Akita Youth Challenge Support Project" (common name: Waka-Chare, Target: Youth aged 18 to 39 involved with Akita Prefecture) implemented by Akita Prefecture, following FY2024 and FY2025. As part of this initiative, a kick-off event will be held on July 17, 2026 (Fri.) at LiSH AKITA, a complex facility in Akita City. Creating new industries and supporting youth are not endeavors that yield results in just one year. That is precisely why both companies aim to foster an environment where Akita's youth can more easily take on challenges by not limiting support for their initiatives to a single instance, but by continuing to manage the project. ■ What is the "Shin Akita Youth Challenge Support Project" that supports youth challenges in Akita Prefecture, a region facing population decline and youth outflow? Akita Prefecture recorded the largest population decrease rate in Japan at 8.1% in the preliminary results of the 2025 National Census, with the outflow of young people to other prefectures being a serious issue. (※1) "Waka-Chare," implemented in Akita Prefecture, a prefecture facing such challenges, is a project to connect the desire of Akita's youth to "want to try something new" with concrete actions. The target audience is young people aged 18 to 39 who are involved with Akita Prefecture. Up until now, the "Akita Youth Challenge Support Project" has been conducted with a focus on single-year recruitment. Starting this fiscal year, as the "Shin Akita Youth Challenge Support Project," the project has evolved into a system