What is a blockchain?
Blockchain is a concept invented as the core technology of the virtual currency Bitcoin.
Blockchain and Bitcoin are sometimes confused, but blockchain is just a decentralized ledger technology or a decentralized network, and it is Bitcoin that uses it. A decentralized ledger technology that enables financial transactions and important data exchanges that require high reliability on open networks such as the Internet. At the center of this is the blockchain.
This time, we interviewed Mr. Yoshihiro Kagohara, CEO of Blockchain Techfirm Co., Ltd.
First, Blockchain Techfirm Co., Ltd. is a venture company established in December 2017 with a focus on the blockchain business. As a step forward for the company, it has been providing solutions centered on blockchain technology to a wide range of companies and local governments, centered on consulting for about 20 years.
And, with Mr. Kagohara, the CEO who talked to us, he has various backgrounds such as planning, consulting, and restaurant management independently of major companies in the past. After becoming interested in Bitcoin after the Mt. Gox incident in 2014 and realizing the usefulness of blockchain, he is currently working with the goal of social development and efficiency.
1. What made you interested in blockchain
2. About blockchain technology being promoted by blockchain Techfirm
3. How can individuals and companies utilize blockchain?
Blockchain project actually underway
Mr. Kagohara says that one of the projects he is currently working on is “blockchaining CO2 emissions trading.”
CO2 emissions trading is based on the Kyoto Protocol, which is a protocol on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and sets greenhouse gas emission allowances for each country and company. It is a system for trading with countries and companies that have done so.
As evidence of CO2 emission transactions, Blockchain Tech Farm is conducting a demonstration experiment of a mechanism to automatically write CO2 reduction amount data to the blockchain by installing a digital tachograph dedicated to CO2 measurement on vehicles such as trucks. ..
Companies that have many trucks in the transportation and delivery industries can earn profits other than the transportation and delivery industry by eco-driving the driver.
Furthermore, since eco-driving provides evidence of safe driving, it can also be used to calculate insurance premium rates. It is possible to calculate insurance premiums not only by mileage and driving time, but also by how you drive, and it will not be long before the era when safe driving reduces insurance premiums. And if the insurance premium rate for eco-driving is applied to individuals, many people will be able to benefit from the benefits of eco-driving and discounts on insurance premiums.
The question then becomes why it needs to be blockchained.
As mentioned at the beginning, blockchain is a decentralized ledger technology that enables financial transactions and important data exchanges that require high reliability on open networks such as the Internet. In other words, the data obtained is credible evidence because the data cannot be tampered with.Blockchain is a technology that is suitable for use in severe areas such as CO2 emission trading and insurance premium rate calculation.
Mr. Kagohara said, “Even if you do the right thing without knowing it, it will be proved. It will be evaluated correctly. I want to make something that gives the right person a reward.” ..
How local governments and local communities can utilize blockchain
Mr. Kagohara says that blockchain technology can be provided to local governments and local communities as a regional revitalization.
Today’s Japanese society is centrally managed, with rural areas dependent on urban areas such as Tokyo. However, by introducing the blockchain, the central government will only support the local government, and it will be possible to create a society in which the local government does not depend on the central government.
For example, suppose that each local government has created a virtual currency called “local coin” for local use, and that it can be used only within each prefecture, such as Hokkaido coin and Aomori coin.
Nowadays, there is a mechanism to make money in each region by paying hometown tax, but if you use yen currency, you will go out of the prefecture and say it. In that respect, local coins cannot be used outside the prefecture, so economic circulation can be expected within the region. Even in the hometown tax payment, the number of users will increase if the yen is 10,000 yen but the local coin is equivalent to 8,000 yen. And if the number of users increases, the value of local coins will increase.
The value of local coins with increased users fluctuates, so what was 1 yen per coin can become 10 yen per coin if the number of users increases to 2 yen per coin.
If local coins are born in each region, there will be variations such as 1.2 yen for Hokkaido coins and 1.3 yen for Aomori coins, and each prefecture will lose to local industries and other prefectures in order to increase the value of the coin. Make an effort to develop each of the charms that are not available.
In that case, instead of the composition that the central government pulls up the local government, the local government itself will strengthen its economic power and become the driving force to raise the Japanese economy.
Currently, Mr. Kagohara goes around the business and industry associations in each region and is talking with companies and others about the introduction.
In addition, he said that he would make use of the lessons learned from Bitcoin here. Said.
What is the CBO Education Program?
One of the projects promoted by Blockchain Techfirm, the CBO education program is to train and assign new positions and CBOs (Chief Blockchain Officers) who specialize in blockchain to each company.
In the presence of various industries, when a company tries to solve a problem with blockchain technology, it is not possible to bring out the problem that needs improvement unless a person familiar with each industry is in charge.
A CBO is a person who specializes in blockchain theory as well as the knowledge of blockchain engineers, and also has knowledge as an expert in each industry.
By setting up a specialized CBO for each company, companies will also undergo blockchain transformation, and industry inequality and inefficiency will be eliminated.
Currently, the number of engineers, including blockchain engineers, is overwhelmingly insufficient. At blockchain techfirm, we not only help each company develop its own blockchain engineers, but also dispatch human resources if necessary and promote the placement of CBOs.
Concerns about the blockchain industry
Mr. Kagohara talked about the current blockchain industry, including the problems of Japanese society.
Blockchain Techfirm is also working on a project in Denmark.
The reason why Denmark was chosen from among many countries is that blockchain is positioned as a national project in Denmark.
From Denmark’s point of view, even if it is a foreign venture company, the government will back up the introduction of each foundation and useful information. Furthermore, when he tries to rent an office in Denmark, he will introduce the corporate office to the campus of a national university.
In fact, at a national university in Denmark, there are offices of various companies right next to blockchain-related research institutes, and the research institutes and companies of the university work together to conduct research based on the national budget. It seems that it is proceeding.
Of course, Mr. Kagohara was originally trying to promote blockchain mainly in Japan, but even if he explained the blockchain technology to companies and organizations, he would evaluate it, but he did not adopt it. Say. Mr. Kagohara says that the basis of this is that Japan tends to take a negative attitude toward new things and wants to reduce change.
Japan has almost all the infrastructure in place, so it is reluctant to overturn what it has been up to now. If you bring the data of the demonstration experiment conducted in Denmark to Japan, it will finally be accepted. Rather, it will not work unless it is a reimport, and since Denmark is doing it, it will have to be done in Japan. He said that the reason why blockchain technology was introduced quickly in China and emerging countries was that it was possible to introduce it in the infrastructure part that is not yet in place, but it was because it took a positive stance on the introduction of new technology
How blockchain technology will spread and change individuals, businesses, or the world
Mr. Kagohara says he has started a company in Estonia before.
Estonia promotes e-governance and e-government, and all procedures except marriage and divorce are managed and automated by the blockchain. It is said that the resident’s card, which has the image of taking a little time and effort in Japan, can be issued 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in Estonia.
Furthermore, the sense of the sharing economy has become widespread throughout the world, as seen in Airbnb and Uber. Now that the idea of coexistence, co-prosperity, and mutual help is widespread, blockchain based on that spirit is a technology that has emerged in order to emerge, and blockchain technology will take root in Japan in a few years. Let’s go.
And what was originally worthless called blockchain is now worth it. That is probably because the blockchain, which started with a few people, has gained the support of people all over the world. Mr. Kagohara said that unlike the times when things that were advertised at a cost to the market could be sold, in the future, things that have won the will of the people and things that have a really good reputation will survive.
About the world we are aiming for using blockchain technology
Blockchain Techfirm is working on various projects, but Mr. Kagohara taught us the world we are aiming for using blockchain technology.
Taking the comedians before they sell as an example, they perform live several times a week and spend most of the week working part-time to live. There are fans who come to see us at live performances, and I really want to do more comedian activities such as live performances, but I have to do another job to live.
Therefore, we propose tokenization of live tickets. By using live tickets as tokens and selling them in advance, they can earn income in advance, and part-time jobs can be adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, since tokens are electronic tickets, people who buy tokens multiple times can manage time stamps and give preferential treatment and rights, and live places can be spent on the street or spending money. You can also specify a location that does not exist each time.
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Mr. Kagohara talked about it as an example, but from his experience of doing various jobs, “I want to create a society where people in the world can get their favorite jobs using blockchain technology, this is really now. It ’s my motivation. ”
“In the future, with the advent of quantum computers, there may come an era in which blockchains that could not be tampered with can be rewritten. However, now it is our job to spread blockchains, and when that time comes, it will become even more popular. I would like to spread useful technology, “said Mr. Kagohara, and finally concluded,” A good time will come. ”
Blockchain Techfirm Co., Ltd.
https://btf.jp/