Shikoku Electric Power (Yonden, Headquarters: Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture) and Norinchukin Bank (Headquarters: Tokyo) announced on September 25, 2020, that they will establish Aitosa (Headquarters: Nankoku City, Kochi Prefecture), an agricultural technology solutions company, on November 2, 2020. The total investment in Aitosa is 25 million yen (approximately $237,000).[1] Yonden will own 95% of the shares of the company, and Norinchukin Bank will own the remaining 5% of the company. This marks the second time that Yoden has participated in an agricultural business since its entry into the agricultural sector in 2018. Yoden has also participated in a strawberry production project in Miki Town, Kagawa Prefecture, Shikoku.

Agriculture is the primary industry of the Shikoku region. However, the region’s agricultural industry has been facing many challenges, such as an aging workforce, a reduction in the total number of workers, and an increase in abandoned farms. Yonden and Norinchukin Bank believe that cutting-edge agriculture technologies like smart agriculture have the potential to address these issues. Smart agriculture technologies include robotic, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Internet of Things (IoT) products.

Aitosa aims to develop smart agriculture technologies that will help the region revitalize its agriculture industry by addressing labor shortages. The company will build two green-housing facilities in Nankoku City, Kochi Prefecture, and will contribute to keeping and expanding the regional farming area for shishito pepper, which is a major local agricultural commodity. Aitosa will collaborate with Kochi Prefecture's Internet of Plants (IoP) project, a private-public partnership initiative, to develop an efficient cultivation method that utilizes environmental data inside the facilities, along with biological plant data.[2]

[1] ¥ 1 = $ 0.0095 USD. Based on the exchange rate as of October 18, 2020.

[2] https://www.yonden.co.jp/press/2020/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2020/09/25/pr010.pdf