The Muroto Geopark Promotion Committee held a ceremony to accept donations for the ‘Muroto Geopark WAON’ and present a letter of appreciation on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at the parking lot space on the first floor of the Muroto World Geopark Center.

This ceremony was held in advance of the “Warm Kochi: Autumn Hospitality Community Cleanup” event.

Donation Overview and Supporting Companies

The Muroto Geopark WAON program allows a portion of your purchases made with the WAON electronic money to be donated to a fund dedicated to preserving the natural environment and traditional culture of Muroto Geopark.

The donations received were from customer usage amount during the period from March 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025, and amounts to the following:

AEON Retail Co., Ltd.            1,018,103 JPY

FUJI Co., Ltd.                             353,706 JPY

Sum:                                              1,371,809 JPY

This donation brings the cumulative total to ¥18,380,210 (AEON Retail Co., Ltd.: ¥14,845,213, FUJI Co., Ltd.: ¥3,534,997).

Local WAON｜Muroto Geopark WAON

Presentation Ceremony Details

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Mikihiro Kawasumi, Shikoku Business Division Manager of AEON Retail Co., Ltd. West Japan Company, and Mr. Takaaki Sakamoto, Kochi Area Operations Manager of FUJI Co., Ltd.

From the Muroto Geopark Promotion Committee, Vice Chairman Kazunari Tomioka and Director General Gen Tokoi, who served as moderator, attended.

The ceremony commenced at 1:30 PM. Following remarks by Mr. Kawasumi, General Manager of the Business Division, representatives from both parties presented a donation certificate to Vice Chairman Tomioka.

Finally, Vice Chairman Tomioka delivered closing remarks, and the ceremony concluded at 1:45 PM with a commemorative photo.

How the donation is utilized

The donated funds are being utilized for important activities to preserve the value of the Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark and to promote regional development.

• Cleaning operations, invasive species removal activities: Beach cleanups at the coasts of Cape Muroto, Maruyama, Cape Hane and prickly pear cactus removal efforts contribute to the conservation of the natural environment.
• Academic Research Grants: Grants are provided to support academic surveys and research projects conducted within the Muroto Geopark covering natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, education, cultural heritage preservation, etc. (Maximum grant amount: 250,000 JPY per project; two projects were selected in fiscal year 2024)
• Regional Collaboration: Every year, we present the “Muroto Geopark WAON” card to graduates of Kochi Prefectural Muroto High School (22 cards presented in fiscal year 2024).

The Muroto Geopark Promotion Committee will continue to effectively utilize your valuable donations to maintain and develop the Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark, a site highly regarded as the “frontier where sea and land meet, giving birth to new land.” We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters.