What Kashima City does

Kashima City (鹿嶋市) is a municipal government entity located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, established on September 1, 1995 under the Japanese local autonomy framework. It delivers administrative and public services to its residents and local businesses, including disaster prevention, waste management, tax administration, public health, and community development. The city is led by Mayor Taguchi Shinichi in his second term and celebrated its 30th anniversary of municipal establishment in 2025. Its geographic service area is limited to Kashima City in the Kanto Region, with no multi-jurisdictional operations.

The city operates a portfolio of digital public services layered on top of traditional in-person municipal office operations. Core products include the Kaname-ru email notification service for disaster alerts and city announcements, the VACAN-powered real-time evacuation center congestion monitoring system (developed in partnership with Kashima Antlers FC), the Kashima Navi mobile application for residents and visitors, and the Dustalk web application for garbage collection scheduling. In 2024, Kashima City deployed a learning-type AI chatbot on its official website to automate responses to resident inquiries. Designated garbage bags are sold through local retail stores including supermarkets and convenience stores at unit prices ranging from 209 to 358 yen per pack.

Kashima City's revenue is sourced from municipal taxation — including resident taxes, municipal taxes, local consumption tax allocations, and property taxes — supplemented by fees from designated garbage bag sales and corporate hometown tax donations. The city administers subsidy programs such as the regional brand product development subsidy (up to 1.5 million yen per project) and participates in multi-party partnerships including a six-party circular economy alliance for plastic containers involving Refine Earth, Mitsubishi Chemical, Toyo Seikan Group, Kewpie, and Kasumi supermarket. Service delivery channels span city hall offices, the official website, mobile applications, community radio (FM Kashima 76.7MHz), email alerts, and retail outlets.

Name

Kashima City

Legal name

鹿嶋市 (Kashima City)

Website

https://city.kashima.ibaraki.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kashima City is a municipal government in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, providing administrative services, disaster prevention, waste management, tax collection, and digital public services including an AI chatbot and evacuation monitoring to its residents and local businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92), Waste Collection (5621), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Municipal government services
• Disaster prevention administration
• Waste management services
• Municipal tax administration
• Regional revitalization programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kashima

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tax Revenue: Municipal government revenue from resident taxes, municipal taxes, local consumption tax allocations, and property taxes

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kashima City is a municipal government providing administrative services, disaster prevention, waste management, tax collection, and community development programs to its residents. It also operates digital citizen service platforms including email alert services, real-time evacuation monitoring, mobile applications, and AI-powered inquiry chatbots. The city supports regional revitalization through corporate hometown tax donation programs and subsidies for local businesses developing regional brand products.

Product overview

Kashima City provides digital and administrative services through multiple integrated products: the かなめーる email notification service for disaster and city information, the VACAN-powered evacuation center congestion monitoring system, the Kashima Navi mobile app for resident services, the Dustalk web application for garbage collection schedules, and physical designated garbage bag products. The city also administers corporate and individual hometown tax donation programs as part of regional revitalization initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kaname-ru (かなめーる) Email Alert Service Email notification service delivering disaster prevention alerts and city announcements to registered residents via the Sugumail platform. Supports category selection for disaster information and daily city notices. For residents of Kashima City seeking timely government information.
• Evacuation Center Congestion Information Service (避難所混雑情報サービス) Real-time monitoring service showing vacancy status of evacuation centers during disasters via smartphone or computer. Displays four-level status (empty/slightly crowded/crowded/full) on interactive map. For residents needing evacuation information during emergencies.
• Kashima Navi (かしまナビ) Official Mobile App Official city mobile application providing local information, services, and navigation for residents and visitors. Includes multilingual support and voice reading features. For residents and tourists of Kashima City.
• Dustalk (ダストーク) Web Application Web application featuring garbage collection calendar functionality, helping residents track waste disposal schedules and sorting guidelines. For residents needing waste management information.
• Corporate Hometown Tax Donation (企業版ふるさと納税) Tax incentive program allowing corporations to donate to city revitalization projects. Provides approximately 90% tax deduction on contributions with minimum donation of 100,000 yen. For corporations seeking tax optimization while supporting local community development.
• Designated Garbage Bags (指定ごみ袋) Officially certified garbage bags for household and business waste disposal. Household sizes: Large (45L, 20 sheets) 358 yen, Medium (30L, 20 sheets) 286 yen, Small (20L, 20 sheets) 209 yen. Business sizes: Extra-large (90L, 10 sheets) 343 yen, Large (45L, 20 sheets) 358 yen. For residents and businesses in Kashima City.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• VACAN Inc. (株式会社VACAN)coreTechnology or Integration · 15 January 2021VACAN provides a real-time evacuation center congestion monitoring service for Kashima City. The service allows residents to check shelter occupancy levels (empty, slightly crowded, crowded, full) via smartphone or computer, implemented as part of the city's smart city promotion initiative to prevent COVID-19 infection at evacuation centers during disasters.
• Kashima Antlers F.C. (株式会社鹿島アントラーズ・エフ・シー)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in the smart city promotion initiative. The partnership aims to leverage technology and innovation for city services while utilizing the visibility of the professional soccer team.
• Refine Earth (リファインバース)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-party partnership for circular economy in plastic containers including Kashima City, Refine Earth, Mitsubishi Chemical, Toyo Seikan Group, Kewpie, and Kasumi supermarket chain.
• Mitsubishi Chemical (三菱ケミカル)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-party partnership for plastic container circular economy including recycling and sustainable materials.
• Toyo Seikan Group (東洋製罐グループ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-party partnership for plastic container circular economy including packaging and container solutions.
• Kewpie (キユーピー)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-party partnership for plastic container circular economy with food product manufacturer.
• Kasumi (カスミ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-party partnership for plastic container circular economy with supermarket chain.
• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAF promotion partnership agreement for sustainable fuel initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kamisu City: Neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture municipal government of comparable size and industrial-port character. Operates analogous municipal services (waste, tax, disaster prevention) for a similar population base, making it a directly comparable Japanese city government.
• Itako City: Adjacent Ibaraki Prefecture municipal government sharing the Kasumigaura lake-region economy. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and service scope, and notably the potential relocation target for Kashima Antlers FC's clubhouse.
• Tsuchiura City: Nearby Ibaraki Prefecture municipal government of similar scale operating the same categories of municipal services (tax, waste, disaster prevention, resident administration) for a directly comparable resident base.

Broad incumbents

• Mito City: Ibaraki Prefecture capital with a larger population and broader administrative footprint. Comparable as a Japanese prefectural-capital municipal government but operates at meaningfully greater scale and offers a wider service portfolio.
• Hitachi City: Industrial Ibaraki Prefecture municipal government with similar demographic and economic profile. Comparable in delivering standard municipal services to a mid-sized Japanese city, but with deeper industrial-economy roots.
• Yokohama City: Major Kanto municipal government operating advanced smart-city initiatives (data platforms, citizen apps, IoT services) at much larger scale. Comparable as a Japanese municipal government deploying digital services but at a fundamentally different scale.

Emerging players

• Tsukuba City: Ibaraki Prefecture municipal government known for science-city and smart-city initiatives. Comparable in pursuing technology-enabled public-service modernization (AI, IoT, mobility), though driven by a research-cluster identity rather than sports heritage.
• Aizuwakamatsu City: Fukushima Prefecture municipal government pursuing smart-city and digital-residency initiatives, including the Aizu Smart City program. Comparable as a mid-sized Japanese city pursuing technology partnerships for public-service modernization.

Regional players

• Narita City: Kanto Region municipal government in neighboring Chiba Prefecture, comparable in operating tourism-facing municipal services and disaster-preparedness infrastructure, though anchored by an international airport economy rather than sports heritage.

Others

• VACAN Inc. Real-time facility congestion-monitoring technology provider that is a strategic partner of Kashima City (since January 2021) for the evacuation-center monitoring service. Included as an enabling technology peer rather than a competing government.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kashima City