Last updated 2 months ago
Japan’s municipalities lack economic independence. Expanding Symons’ Web2 model into a points and crypto platform can make them players in a decentralized economy, advancing government and tourism DX.
We will evolve Symons’ Web2 model into a Cardano L1 + Hydra blockchain platform, integrating points and cryptocurrency to enable municipal autonomy and support comprehensive government and tourism DX.
This is the total amount allocated to AIRA : Hydra Loyalty & Crypto for Regional Revitalization.
NB: Monthly reporting was deprecated from January 2024 and replaced fully by the Milestones Program framework. Learn more here
Please provide your proposal title
AIRA : Hydra Loyalty & Crypto for Regional Revitalization
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
698000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
12
What is the problem you want to solve?
Japan’s municipalities lack economic independence. Expanding Symons’ Web2 model into a points and crypto platform can make them players in a decentralized economy, advancing government and tourism DX.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
Yes
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
Our project depends on collaboration with: • SYMONS Co.,Ltd. for integration with the existing Web2 loyalty/CRM infrastructure. • Municipal and regional government partners for pilot deployment and adoption. These dependencies are confirmed through ongoing discussions and preliminary agreements, ensuring alignment before the project starts.
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
No
License and Additional Information
The project will not be fully open source due to proprietary frontend and certain integration components. However, all blockchain-related smart contracts, Hydra integration modules, and API specifications will be released under an MIT License on a public GitHub repository to support transparency, interoperability, and community adoption.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Financial Services
Describe your established collaborations.
1. Established collaborations
We work with Symons Inc., operator of a proven Web2 loyalty/CRM platform in 20+ municipalities with 3M+ users and multiple projects funded by Japan’s national tourism agency. Municipal and tourism partners confirmed for pilot adoption.
Describe funding commitments.
2. Funding commitments
Budget ₳698K. Symons covers non-blockchain frontend dev. ₳80K for smart contract audit. Municipal partners provide in-kind support (promotion, merchant onboarding, ops integration).
Describe your key performance metrics.
3. Key performance metrics
3 municipalities & 500 merchants in 12 months. 3M+ annual transactions in 3 years via Hydra. User growth from 3M to 4.5M in 3 years. Hydra high-volume use case, increased ADA utility, open-source modules & APIs.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
The “AIRA: Izanami Project Phase II” aims to upgrade SYMONS Co.,Ltd.’s widely adopted Web2 loyalty point/CRM system—used by municipalities across Japan—into a Web3 platform powered by Cardano L1 and Hydra L2. This transformation will create a sustainable, circular regional economy platform that connects municipalities, local businesses, and residents, fostering economic independence and participation in a decentralized economy.
Background & Challenges
The current Web2-type municipal point systems face multiple limitations:
• Centralized operation leading to high costs
• Security and privacy concerns from external dependencies
• Lack of interoperability with other municipalities and external services
• Limited flexibility in incentive design
• Inability to integrate loyalty points with cryptocurrencies
These constraints limit local economic circulation and the advancement of digital governance.
Solution Overview
AIRA will build a Web3 platform based on the existing Symons system, integrating the following core functions:
1. Unified operation of points, cryptocurrency, and local currency
Enable mutual conversion between points and cryptocurrency, using DeFi to manage local assets. Expired points will be reinvested as local development funds to accelerate economic circulation.
2. High-speed, low-cost settlement via Hydra L2
From micro-payments to large-scale event transactions, processing will be instantaneous. Low fees and high throughput will deliver a Web2-level user experience.
3. Integrated government and tourism DX features
A “municipal super app” will unify tax payments, digital vouchers, e-tickets, local currency, tourism coupons, MaaS, delivery services, and more.
4. CRM and Evidence-Based Policymaking
Purchase, tourism, and behavioral data will be owned and analyzed by the municipality, enabling a shift from experience-based to data-driven policymaking.
5. Resident-participatory eco-society
Use NFTs to certify volunteer activities, blockchain-based surveys and feedback, and other mechanisms to encourage citizen-led decision-making.
Technical Architecture
• L1 (Cardano Mainchain): Final settlement, governance, and auditing
• L2 (Hydra Head): High-speed transactions, point issuance/use/settlement, event handling
• Service Layer: Wallet UX, CRM/KYC, audit/reporting features
• Data Layer: On-chain asset and transaction state; off-chain anonymized behavioral logs and audit hashes
Feasibility
Symons has over 20 years of operational experience in local loyalty systems, working with 20+ municipalities and serving over 3 million registered users. Leveraging this existing network and track record will minimize adoption barriers during the Web3 migration. AIRA will focus on technology development, while Symons manages on-the-ground implementation and operations, enabling rapid rollout.
Example Use Cases
• Promoting rural migration (points for relocating residents)
• Addressing declining birth rates (childbirth and childcare support points)
• Senior welfare (elder care and living assistance points)
• Public health (points for medical check-ups)
• Culture & education (library/museum points)
• Environmental initiatives (renewable energy points)
• Tourism promotion (regional coupons, event tickets)
KPI Targets (3 Years)
• Municipalities onboarded: 3 in year 2 → 9 within 3 years
• Annual transaction volume: up to 7.5 million transactions
• User base: from 90K to 150K
• ROI: 72x–360x (Amount eligible for points ÷ Cost)
Contribution to the Cardano Ecosystem
• Establishment and international showcasing of a commercial Hydra use case
• Technical validation of L2 scalability in production environments
• Expansion of Cardano adoption into public and local economy sectors
• Open-source release of modules/APIs for reuse
• Strengthening of community and developer collaboration globally
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
1) Direct Impact on the Cardano Ecosystem
① Creation and dissemination of a commercial Hydra use case
AIRA will integrate an already operational loyalty/CRM system for municipalities, shopping districts, and the tourism sector with Hydra, delivering one of the world’s rare public-sector commercial L2 deployments. This will provide a concrete, large-scale reference case for Hydra, accelerating adoption and enabling knowledge-sharing of real-world operations within the Cardano community.
② Demonstration of L1×L2 architecture and enhancement of Cardano’s technical credibility
By securing finality on Cardano L1 while using Hydra Heads for instant settlement and high-frequency transactions, AIRA will demonstrate Cardano’s “high throughput × low cost” model in a production environment. This project will move Cardano from the theoretical stage into a live proof phase, with measurable performance data for large-scale, concurrent transactions.
③ Expanding use case domains (public sector, local economies, government services)
AIRA will broaden Cardano’s use cases beyond the current focus on finance and NFTs into municipalities, local economic development, and public services. Local loyalty points, digital vouchers, tourism tickets, volunteer/NFT incentives, and local currency/DeFi will be supported in a multi-Head Hydra deployment model, spanning seasonal events, shopping districts, and educational institutions.
④ Connecting developers, SPOs, DReps, and municipal communities
AIRA will create environments—through PoCs and demonstration events—where SPOs, DReps, developers, enterprises, and municipal stakeholders can collaborate, strengthening decentralized governance and an open innovation culture.
2) Social Implementation and Economic Ripple Effects
① High-certainty deployment based on existing Web2 achievements
AIRA builds upon Symons’ Web2 platform with over 25 years of operational history, long-term contracts with 20+ municipalities, 3M+ registered users, and multiple projects funded by Japan’s national tourism agency. Migration to Web3 can occur in a phased, low-barrier manner, enabling realistic adoption at the municipal scale.
② Strengthening local economic circulation and municipal autonomy
AIRA will enable mechanisms to keep value circulating locally—such as repurposing expired points, issuing local currencies, and creating municipal reserve funds linked to cryptocurrencies (within regulatory boundaries). It will also visualize and incentivize social contributions, such as volunteering, childcare, and welfare activities, via NFTs and points.
③ Launchpad for Asia and global expansion
The parallel Hydra Head scaling model is ideal for peak-season events, tourist destinations, and urban deployments. After establishing a model case in Japan, AIRA will target expansion into other municipalities, tourist regions, and educational institutions in Asia and worldwide.
3) Transparency, Interoperability, and Community Contribution
① Open-source release (blockchain components)
All blockchain-related smart contracts, Hydra integration modules, and key API specifications will be released under an MIT License. These will be accompanied by documentation and operational guidelines, ensuring reusability and interoperability, and encouraging derivative projects on Cardano. (Some frontend components will remain proprietary.)
② Auditability and evidence sharing
For each milestone, AIRA will provide GitHub tags/commits, testnet/mainnet Tx hashes, Hydra Head operation logs, and public dashboards of key metrics, ensuring transparency and enabling third-party verification.
4) Contribution to Governance, Regulation, and Data Protection
① L1 finality × permissioned Hydra security
Final asset ownership and settlement will be handled on L1, while instant payments occur on Hydra. Permissioned Heads will ensure validation and fraud resistance, with final settlement to L1 to guarantee immutability.
② Auditable, tiered data architecture
On-chain will store asset and transaction state; off-chain will hold anonymized behavioral logs and audit hashes. This separation achieves both personal data protection and traceability.
③ Common platform for government DX
Resident ID integration (KYC/CRM), digital vouchers, e-tickets, tourism partnerships, and local currencies will be standardized under the same L2 pattern, facilitating cross-municipality interoperability.
5) KPIs and Targets for 12–36 Months
Adoption & Ecosystem KPIs
• 12 months: Proposed to 30 municipalities, developed operational framework plans, andsecured adoption by 3 of them with budget allocation in the following fiscal year. (under a conservative estimate)
• 24 months: 3 municipalities, 500 merchants onboarded, 5–10 Hydra Heads in parallel operation.
• 36 months: 30K-50K users, 360K-600K annual transactions (micropayments + points)
Cardano Impact KPIs
• Mainnet transaction count, UTXO growth, Hydra Head uptime, L1↔L2 bridge transactions, ADA settlement volume.
• OSS module stars/forks, number of external adoptions, reuse cases.
Reliability & Operations KPIs
• L2 payment latency (p95/p99), offline resilience, RTO/RPO, cost per Tx.
• Audit issue resolution rate/recurrence rate, monthly KPI dashboard publication.
6) User & Merchant Experience Improvements
• Instant settlement & low fees: Especially effective for high-volume, small-value payments in tourism, events, and shopping districts.
• Flexible offline operations: Multiple Heads deployed to match event or local connectivity conditions.
• Reuse of existing Web2 assets: CRM, membership databases, and point issuance functions leveraged to minimize migration costs.
7) Secondary Benefits for Education, Tourism, and Disaster Response
• Education & research: Provide real Hydra L2 operational data for university and technical college PBL (problem-based learning).
• Tourism & cultural promotion: Visualize and incentivize participation in regional travel, events, and cultural activities to increase circulation within the area.
• Disaster response: Make volunteer activity logs/NFTs visible, ensuring transparency in aid distribution and donations.
8) Risk Management for Sustaining Impact
• Regulation: Design clear boundaries between points and crypto assets in compliance with the Payment Services Act and prepaid payment instrument regulations, based on expert legal review.
• Technology: Modular architecture (L1/L2/Service/Data separation) and canary releases to localize failures.
• Adoption: Deploy in phases via existing municipal and merchant networks—PoC → limited production → full rollout.
9) Reporting & Evidence Submission (Value to Catalyst)
• On-chain evidence: Tx hashes, Hydra Head logs, operational metrics.
• Code/design: MIT-licensed GitHub repositories, API specs, design documentation.
• Social implementation evidence: Municipality/merchant onboarding numbers, usage counts, media coverage, selection by national agencies.
10) Conclusion: Making Cardano the Public Sector Standard
AIRA will transform a proven Web2 regional revitalization model into a Web3 commercial platform on Cardano L1 × Hydra L2. As Japan’s first large-scale public-sector L2 case, it will serve as a showcase for Cardano’s real capabilities, simultaneously delivering expanded use cases, a revitalized developer ecosystem, and increased ADA utility.
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
1) Execution Framework (Trust & Accountability)
Governance
• Steering Committee:
• Mituru Saikawa (Chairman, AIRA / CEO, SYMONS Co.,Ltd.) – Strategic oversight for public and loyalty domains, municipal liaison
• Osamu Ambiru (Executive Officer, AIRA / Vice President, SYMONS Co.,Ltd.) – Municipal, tourism, and business district engagement, GTM lead
• Shigeki Tabira (CEO, AIRA / CEO, SITION / Cardano SPO & DRep / Adviser, SYMONS Co.,Ltd.) – Overall strategy, technical coordination, Cardano alignment
• Project Management: The PMO conducts biweekly sprints, monthly reviews, and quarterly summaries. Milestone tracking will follow Catalyst’s Milestone Module, linking Acceptance Criteria with Evidence (repo commits, Tx hashes, audit reports, demo videos, operational logs).
• Accountability: Quarterly public reports (progress, KPIs, challenges, mitigation), with final reports including KPI performance, gap analysis, and improvement plans.
Team Capability
• Symons Inc.: Over 20 years’ experience delivering loyalty/CRM systems to 20+ municipalities / 3M+ users in Japan, with expertise in municipal operations, merchant onboarding, and training.
• AIRA / Vietnam Blockchain Team: Skilled in Cardano smart contracts, Hydra L2, wallet/mobile integration, and SRE operations.
• External Specialists: Legal, audit, UI/UX, and SRE advisors to ensure security and operational quality.
2) Technical Architecture & Feasibility
Overall Design
• L1 (Cardano): Settlement of token/points ledgers, audit trails, and governance-related transactions.
• L2 (Hydra): Instant settlement for micro, high-frequency payments/point redemptions. Multiple Heads per municipality/event for scalability.
• Feature Blocks:
• Point / regional currency / crypto conversion smart contracts
• NFT / e-Voucher / e-Ticket issuance and redemption
• Expired points → reserve fund / investment rails (policy-controlled)
• Merchant/government admin features, audit API, reporting
• Integration: Bidirectional API bridge to existing Symons Web2 DB, enabling phased migration with minimal downtime.
• Reusability: Smart contracts, Hydra integration modules, and API specs released under MIT License to enable replication.
Performance & Scalability
• Target: Hydra p95 latency ≤2s, uptime ≥99%. Horizontal scaling of Heads for seasonal/event peaks.
• Tx cost reduction: CapEx/Tx decreases with adoption (e.g., projected ₳0.078 → ₳0.006/Tx over 3 years with 9M–117M Tx total).
3) Delivery Process (Quality Assurance & Transparency)
• Development Cycle: 2-week sprints; gated process from design → build → review → test → staging → pilot → production.
• CI/CD: Automated unit/integration/property tests, static analysis, dependency scans, signed releases.
• Testing Strategy:
• Smart Contracts: Formal methods/property testing, malicious input simulation
• Hydra: Concurrency/resource exhaustion/network partition tests
• Performance: Load, endurance, spike tests
• Observability: Metrics/logs/traces aggregated with SRE tooling. Defined SLOs, error budgets, and alert thresholds.
• Change Management: Semantic versioning, migration plans for DB/contracts, canary/rollback procedures.
4) Security, Audit & Compliance
• External Audit (₳80k): Third-party review of contracts/Hydra integration/API before mainnet. Issues classified by risk level and remediated.
• Key Management: MPC/HSM, role separation, multi-party approvals.
• Data Minimization: Limit PII storage, comply with Japan’s APPI. Anonymize/aggregate data for campaigns.
• KYC/AML: Legal review for flows involving point ↔ crypto exchange; implement requirements as needed.
• Operational Security: Threat modeling, penetration testing, WAF/rate limits, RBAC, immutable audit logs.
5) Validation (Feasibility Testing)
• Pilot (M3)
• Scope: 1–3 municipalities, ~500 merchants (shopping districts/tourism)
• Features: e-Vouchers, points accrual/redemption, NFT tickets, merchant settlement
• Success Criteria: ≥100k Tx/month, merchant NPS, p95≤2s, SLA met, 0 critical incidents
• Production (M4)
• Multiple Hydra Heads, public dashboard, OSS release
• KPIs: Municipalities onboarded, merchants onboarded, Tx volume, expired points converted to reserves, user growth, OSS adoption.
6) Milestone Acceptance Criteria & Evidence
• M1 (10%) Design/Specs/Hydra Initial Setup
• Acceptance: Architecture diagram/spec, threat model, Hydra PoC, ops runbook v1
• Evidence: Git tag, demo video, diagrams, benchmark results
• M2 (40%) Contracts/Integration/API/Admin
• Acceptance: Point/currency/crypto contracts, NFT/e-Voucher, admin UI, API public release
• Evidence: Tx hashes, API docs, load test logs
• M3 (70%) Integration/Audit/Pilot
• Acceptance: Audit pass, p95≤2s, ≥100k Tx/month, 0 critical incidents
• Evidence: Audit report, ops dashboard, SLA report, pilot video
• M4 (100%) Production Launch/OSS/Report
• Acceptance: Mainnet cutover, OSS (MIT) release, final report
• Evidence: Public repo, mainnet Tx, press release, KPI report
7) Risks & Mitigation
• Regulatory: Early legal review; avoid or adapt flows needing high-friction KYC.
• Performance: Horizontal Hydra scaling, hotspot distribution, regional split if needed.
• Adoption: Leverage existing Symons network for initial users; allocate ₳50k GTM budget for awareness/training.
• Dependencies: Backup vendors for audit/cloud; cross-train key functions.
• Ops Risk: SLO/runbook drills to minimize MTTR.
• Funding: Frontend covered by Symons; Catalyst funds focused on blockchain core.
8) Budget & Resource Feasibility
₳320k Dev / ₳50k P.Mngmt / ₳80k Audits/ ₳40k Infra / ₳50k Integration Support / ₳118k GTM / ₳40k Reporting covers all phases from design to adoption.
• With frontend costs absorbed by Symons, Catalyst funds focus purely on L1+Hydra core, security, and operations—maximizing delivery certainty.
9) Why This Approach Is Feasible
• Builds on proven Web2 municipal deployments, minimizing migration risk via phased transition to Cardano L1 and Hydra L2.
• Embeds audit, operational, and legal compliance from the start, ensuring mainnet readiness.
• Ties milestones directly to KPIs with transparent evidence submission.
• Enables commercial launch within 12 months, with OSS + templates paving the way for replication in other regions globally.
Milestone Title
Platform Architecture Design & Core Blockchain Development (Cardano L1 + Hydra)
Milestone Outputs
• Full system architecture design finalized (L1/L2 separation, APIs, data flow)
• Cardano L1 smart contract specifications for points/local currency/NFT issuance and management
• Initial Hydra Head configuration and integration plan for municipal pilot
• API and integration specs for connecting existing Symons Web2 CRM to blockchain backend
Acceptance Criteria
• Reviewed and approved architecture document
• Smart contract specifications completed and peer-reviewed
• Hydra configuration tested in devnet environment with sample transactions
• API specs validated against Symons CRM requirements
Evidence of Completion
• GitHub repository with architecture diagrams, specs, and code commits
• Hydra testnet transaction hashes and logs
• API spec document shared in public repository
Delivery Month
3
Cost
175000
Progress
10 %
Milestone Title
Blockchain Integration & Loyalty/Crypto Functionality Development
Milestone Outputs
• Development of Cardano L1 smart contracts for loyalty points, local currency, and crypto integration
• Hydra L2 transaction handling for high-frequency merchant payments and point exchanges
• NFT issuance module for volunteer/civic activity tracking
• Basic admin dashboard for municipal operations
Acceptance Criteria
• Smart contracts deployed and tested on testnet
• Hydra Head transaction performance meeting target (p95 latency under 2s)
• NFT issuance verified with sample activity logs
• Admin dashboard accessible with sample data
Evidence of Completion
• GitHub code commits and testnet Tx hashes
• Hydra performance test reports
• Demo video of dashboard and NFT issuance process
Delivery Month
6
Cost
175000
Progress
40 %
Milestone Title
System Integration, Security Audit & Pilot Deployment
Milestone Outputs
• Integration with Symons Web2 CRM and merchant terminal APIs
• Security audit by external smart contract auditors
• Pilot deployment with selected municipalities and merchants
• Training materials for municipal staff and merchants
Acceptance Criteria
• End-to-end transaction flow tested with live merchant and municipal accounts (test environment)
• External audit report with no critical vulnerabilities outstanding
• Pilot environment operational with at least 2 municipalities and 100 merchants
• Training completion for municipal staff
Evidence of Completion
• Audit report and remediation logs
• Pilot transaction logs and Tx hashes
• Merchant/staff training attendance records
Delivery Month
9
Cost
174000
Progress
70 %
Milestone Title
Full Production Launch & Public Release
Milestone Outputs
• Mainnet deployment of smart contracts and Hydra Heads
• Full municipal onboarding (minimum 3 municipalities, 500 merchants in 2 years)
• Public launch of municipal super app (wallet, vouchers, NFT functions)
• Open-source release of blockchain modules, Hydra integration code, and API specs (MIT License)
Acceptance Criteria
• Mainnet contracts live and functional with verified Tx hashes
• Hydra Heads operational with uptime > 99%
• Municipal super app available on app stores with ≥1,000 downloads in first month
• Open-source repos published with documentation
Evidence of Completion
• Mainnet Tx hashes and Hydra uptime logs
• App store listing links and analytics
• Public GitHub repository links
Delivery Month
12
Cost
174000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Total Requested Budget: ₳698,000
Breakdown:
1. Development – ₳320,000
Blockchain System (Cardano L1 + Hydra): ₳320,000
Backend architecture, smart contract development, Hydra L2 integration, token/points interoperability, API development, and testing.
2. Project Management – ₳50,000
Coordination between development teams, municipal partners, and stakeholders; reporting; scheduling; compliance oversight.
3. Smart Contract Audits – ₳80,000
Independent security audits of smart contracts, Hydra modules, and integration APIs before mainnet deployment.
4. Infrastructure – ₳40,000
Server hosting, blockchain nodes, Hydra head infrastructure, monitoring systems, and redundancy setup.
5. Partner Integration Support – ₳50,000
Technical assistance and onboarding for municipal governments, merchants, and tourism partners.
6. Marketing & Go-to-Market (GTM) – ₳118,000
Promotional campaigns, municipal press releases, local community engagement, and media coverage to drive adoption.
7. Reporting & Documentation – ₳40,000
Public progress reports, final project documentation, KPI tracking, and open-source repository maintenance.
Cost Justification:
This budget ensures full lifecycle delivery from blockchain system development to deployment, municipal partner integration, and adoption campaigns. Each allocation directly supports achieving our milestones and KPIs, while maintaining high security, compliance, and transparency standards.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
Total: ₳698,000
1. Development – ₳320,000
• Blockchain system (Cardano L1 + Hydra L2) development
• Backend architecture, smart contract development, Hydra integration, token/points interoperability, API development, testing
2. Project Management – ₳50,000
• Coordination between dev teams, municipal partners, and stakeholders; scheduling; compliance oversight; reporting
3. Smart Contract Audits – ₳80,000
• Independent third-party audits of smart contracts, Hydra modules, and integration APIs before mainnet launch
4. Infrastructure – ₳40,000
• Server hosting, blockchain nodes, Hydra Head infrastructure, monitoring systems, redundancy setup
5. Partner Integration Support – ₳50,000
• Technical assistance and onboarding for municipal governments, merchants, and tourism partners
6. Marketing & Go-to-Market – ₳118,000
• Promotional campaigns, press releases, community engagement, media coverage
7. Reporting & Documentation – ₳40,000
• Public progress reports, final project documentation, KPI tracking, OSS repository maintenance
Note: All frontend application development costs are fully covered by Symons; no Catalyst funds are diluted for non-blockchain tasks.
Adoption & Operations KPIs (24–36 months)
• 24 months: 3 municipalities onboarded, 500 merchants, 5–10 Hydra Heads in operation
• 24 months: 30K-50K users, 360K-600K annual transactions (micropayments + points)
• 36 months: 90K-150K users, 4.5M-7.5M annual transactions, flexible scaling of parallel Hydra Heads during peak demand
Cardano Impact KPIs
• Mainnet transaction count, UTXO growth, Hydra uptime, L1↔L2 bridge transactions, ADA settlement volume
• OSS module stars/forks, number of external adoptions, reuse cases
Reliability KPIs
• L2 payment latency (p95/p99), offline resilience, RTO/RPO, cost per Tx
• Monthly KPI dashboard publication rate, audit issue resolution rate
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Founder and CEO of Symons Inc., a leading figure in Japan’s loyalty points industry. During his tenure at Japan Airlines (JAL), he built the airline industry’s first integrated points network, establishing a cross-industry, multi-location collaboration model. Leveraging this experience, he founded Symons Inc., and for over 20 years has developed and operated loyalty/CRM systems for more than 20 municipalities across Japan, serving over 3 million registered users.
He created a unique regional economic revitalization model that integrates municipal points, local currencies, and tourism/shopping district partnerships, successfully achieving sustainable economic circulation in numerous regions. As Chairman of AIRA, he provides strategic leadership, aligns municipal needs with technical feasibility, and leverages his extensive network to secure high-level partnerships and pilot opportunities.
As CEO of AIRA, he oversees overall strategy, governance, and partnership coordination. As the head of SITION, he provides consulting and advisory services in the fields of Web3, blockchain (DLT), and AI. He is an active contributor to the Cardano ecosystem as a node operator and DRep (ticker: SIPO). He also serves as an advisor to Symons Inc., contributing to ensuring that this project aligns with Cardano’s governance and technical roadmap.
Highly accomplished in building and managing networks with local governments, and experienced in driving digital transformation of local economies, tourism, and government services nationwide. Selected for five consecutive years as one of the 100 regional tourism promotion experts designated nationwide by the Japan National Tourism Agency. As Vice President of SYMONS Co.,Ltd. he oversees business development, leading strategy formulation tailored to regional challenges, as well as end-to-end direction of public-private projects, from design and funding to operations.
In the regional revitalization field, he has established direct partnerships with dozens of municipalities, successfully delivering diverse projects such as digital vouchers, local currencies, tourism DX, and resident points programs to strengthen local economic circulation. At AIRA, he leads market expansion and partner onboarding, serving as a trusted driver of sustainable growth for regional economies.
Responsible for integrating the existing Web2 platform with the new blockchain backend, onboarding merchants, and providing training for municipal staff. Proven track record in delivering projects funded by Japan’s national tourism agency and implementing large-scale municipal systems.
Specialized in Cardano smart contracts, Hydra L2 integration, and mobile app development. Responsible for backend blockchain development (Cardano L1 contracts, Hydra transaction layer) and implementation of wallet/mobile super app features.
• Legal and compliance advisors for municipal regulations
• UI/UX designers for citizen-facing applications
• Marketing & community outreach coordinators to drive adoption
Track Record & Capacity
The leadership of Mituru Saikawa and Osamu Ambiru, combined with Shigeki Tabira’s expertise in Web3, blockchain, and AI, SYMONS Co.,Ltd.’s proven municipal deployments, and the Vietnam development team’s advanced technical capabilities, enables full-cycle delivery—from design and development to deployment, compliance, and large-scale adoption—maximizing the project’s feasibility and impact.