NEWS

On Friday, February 6, 2026, four students from APU took the stage as finalists at the business idea competition “One Beppu Dream Award 2025,” held at Beppu City Public Hall, where they delivered public presentations. Among the finalists, Hayato Honda (1st-year student, College of International Management, Japan) received the Audience Award, which is determined by votes from the attendees.

The One Beppu Dream Award is a competition organized to discover and support business ideas that address local challenges and create new value for the community. In the 2025 edition, finalists were selected from among 40 applications to advance to the final round.
Representing APU as finalists were Ashmi Jha (4th-year student, College of International Management, India), Harold Lo (2nd-year student, Graduate School of Management, Hong Kong), Mino Furuta (1st-year student, College of International Management, Japan), and Hayato Honda. Each presented a business proposal focusing on Beppu’s local characteristics and social issues.

Ashmi Jha presented “Elder Care Connect (ECC),” a platform designed to address social isolation in an aging society by connecting elderly individuals with caregivers and the local community. Leveraging a multicultural environment, the proposal aims to improve the quality of life for elderly people through interactions with foreign residents and younger generations.

Harold Lo introduced “Laxy Beppu – Beppu Storyteller in Your Pocket,” a digital tourism guide that allows users to experience Beppu’s history, culture, and local attractions through smartphones. By reframing regional resources as compelling stories, the project seeks to enhance the quality of tourism experiences and promote sustainable tourism.

Mino Furuta presented “Skill Port,” a platform that connects international students and people from diverse backgrounds with local communities and companies by matching individual skills and language abilities with regional needs. The initiative aims to create opportunities for multicultural talent while stimulating the local economy and promoting international exchange.

Hayato Honda proposed “MyShoku – Creating a Food Safety Net Through Visible Allergy-Friendly Dining, Originating in Beppu.” Drawing from his personal experiences, the project aims to visualize and share information on how restaurants accommodate food allergies. The proposal resonated strongly with the audience for its vision of a society where everyone can dine out with peace of mind, earning him the Audience Award through on-site voting.

During the presentations, the students skillfully alternated between English and Japanese, clearly communicating the background of the issues they addressed, the uniqueness of their business ideas, and their potential social impact. Their logical and confident responses to questions from judges and attendees exemplified the outcomes of APU’s multicultural environment and practice-oriented education.