We are pleased to announce that the number of local governments that have issued NFTs on HEXA, one of Japan's largest NFT marketplaces, has passed 17.
The number of municipalities that have issued NFTs on HEXA, one of Japan's largest NFT marketplaces, has passed 17. From Japan's first* digital resident NFT, issued by Nishikawa Town, Yamagata Prefecture, in April 2023, to the digital resident NFT issued by Ogawa Town, Saitama Prefecture, in July 2025, a total of 17 municipalities have issued NFTs on HEXA, making it No. 1** in track record.
Municipalities that have issued NFTs on the HEXA NFT Marketplace
Nishikawa Town, Yamagata Prefecture; Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture; Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture; Kashima City, Saga Prefecture; Akitakata City, Hiroshima Prefecture; Tadami Town, Fukushima Prefecture; Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture; Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture; Uda City, Nara Prefecture; Joyo City, Kyoto Prefecture; Kamigori Town, Hyogo Prefecture; Otsuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture; Fujikawa Town, Yamanashi Prefecture; Yachiyo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture; Kumakogen Town, Ehime Prefecture; Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture; Ogawa Town, Saitama Prefecture
Under the government's "Regional Revitalization 2.0," whose policy is to "use blockchain technology and NFTs to reprice the diverse analog value held by regions, such as food and tourism experiences, at global prices and maximize it," local governments are using NFTs on HEXA to create related populations — people who maintain an ongoing connection to a region without living there — secure revenue and promote their cities. In 2025, NFT issuance also became eligible for the New Regional Economy and Living Environment Creation Grant, and municipalities are increasingly expected to make use of NFTs.
Against this backdrop, many municipalities use HEXA, an NFT marketplace where you can issue NFTs right away with ¥0 in initial and maintenance costs.
*An internet survey conducted by Media Equity Inc. on April 26, 2023, covering NFTs issued by all prefectures and municipalities in Japan as issuers, confirmed that this is the first case in Japan of a digital resident NFT officially issued by an existing Japanese municipality. There have been earlier cases of NFTs issued by residents as a voluntary group rather than officially by a municipality, but this is the first case in Japan of a digital resident NFT issued with a Japanese municipality officially acting as the issuer under the Local Finance Act.
**An internet survey conducted by Media Equity Inc. on July 31, 2025, covering NFTs issued by all prefectures and municipalities in Japan, confirmed that HEXA's 17 municipalities is the largest number of existing Japanese municipalities to have officially issued NFTs.
***HEXA is a platform where anyone can issue, sell, buy and resell NFTs. The municipalities listed are those whose NFTs HEXA was able to confirm were issued by the municipality.
Comment from a staff member of the Kasegu (Revenue Generation) Division, Nishikawa Town
We started this project knowing nothing about NFTs, but we have seen three benefits from issuing them.
The first is securing revenue. Once an NFT is issued, it can generate income from secondary sales too, which helps secure ongoing revenue for the town.
The second is the PR effect. As the first municipality to issue NFTs, we were covered by many media outlets without spending on advertising, which gave us a strong PR effect. We can also send messages from the town to NFT holders, so we regularly share information such as town events.
The third is creating a related population. More people became interested in the town through NFTs, which has also expanded our visitor population and related population through tourism and event participation.
NFTs of Nishikawa Town, Yamagata Prefecture
https://nft.hexanft.com/users/9qt9CaHzd9xdV5/issued
Comment from the general manager for regional revitalization at Tobu Top Tours Co., Ltd., who also serves as a Regional Revitalization Advisor for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
It has already been two and a half years since we proposed to Nishikawa Town, Yamagata Prefecture, "Why not issue the first NFT-based digital resident card of any municipality in Japan?" and we are grateful to now receive inquiries about NFT issuance from many municipalities. We are currently considering a DAO mechanism that would let NFT holders of the municipalities we have worked with interact with other municipalities as well, and we intend to provide further benefits to both the municipalities and the NFT holders.
Some municipalities show no activity at all after issuing NFTs, but we believe that issuing an NFT is a start, not a goal, for a municipality. We see the purpose of municipal NFTs as "expanding the related population" and "revitalizing the local economy." We present the "ideal state" a municipality should reach a few years after issuing NFTs, and after issuance we strengthen our collaboration with the municipality even more than before, working on regional revitalization through public-private partnership. Municipalities considering issuing NFTs are welcome to contact us.
About HEXA, the NFT marketplace
A Japanese NFT marketplace where you can issue, buy and sell NFTs using Japanese yen alone. You can easily buy NFTs by credit card from a PC or smartphone. No crypto or wallet is needed at all, so you can buy, sell or issue NFTs right away. If you have a HEXA Residents NFT or a LAND NFT, you can also display the NFTs you buy in the HEXA Metaverse. HEXA also offers community features such as Web3-style online salons and fan clubs, and 6blog, a service with NFTs that grant the right to read the rest of an article.
How NFT issuance works: https://hexanft.com/issuermanual/
Apply to issue NFTs here: https://nft.hexanft.com/issue