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About Social System Design Social System Design aims to solve social issues, transform social systems, and contribute to international society through PPP (Public-Private Partnership) projects in the field of social and public infrastructure. The name ”Social System Design” was coined by Professor Emeritus Hideaki Miyata (former president), who played a central role in establishing the Department of Systems Innovation at the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering and was awarded the Japan Academy Prize and the Imperial Prize in 2011. Through our projects, we aim to address social challenges and create new values for the future. Our mission is to realize this vision through the practice of project management. As Japan enters an era of population decline, we must redesign the social systems that were built during the period of rapid economic growth to better suit the needs of today. Recognizing this as the role of a project manager, I invited Professor Miyata to join the Index Group when we began working in the field of infrastructure development through public-private partnerships, particularly in the reconstruction efforts following the Great East Japan Earthquake and he became our founding president. Today, our company provides support for public and social infrastructure development, regional revitalization, and the optimization of local energy systems based on public-private partnerships (PPP). In Japan, not only public infrastructure such as roads and water/sewage systems, but also social infrastructure like museums and arenas have traditionally been developed and operated by the public sector. However, much of the infrastructure built during Japan’s postwar economic boom is now aging and requires renewal to meet the demands of the digital transformation (DX) era. At the same time, local governments are facing increasing difficulties in securing the necessary funding and personnel for infrastructure maintenance and renewal, due to the aging of society and population decline, which have led to a decrease in users and worsening fiscal conditions. In 2008, Professor Miyata launched the Rechargeable Battery Social System Study Group to explore the optimization of electricity management in local communities using renewable energy and storage batteries. By controlling electricity demand and supply through algorithms, locally generated power can be efficiently utilized within the region without loss. Amid the paradigm shift brought about by the ability to store electricity, a kind of industrial revolution was envisioned through local production and local consumption of energy. To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, it is essential to introduce such innovative energy management systems. In promoting the renewal of aging infrastructure and the optimization of local energy systems, the PPP approach—which leverages private-sector expertise and funding to reduce operational costs, increase revenue, and advance both digitalization and CO₂ reduction—is indispensable. It is no exaggeration to say that PPP is the most effective means of realizing social system design in the DX era. Although Professor Miyata, our former president, passed away with great honor in December 2024, we are committed to carrying on his legacy. Through our efforts to reshape Japan’s social systems to meet the needs of the present age, we aim to contribute to the happiness of its people and to international society.

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