Latest issue of Amagasaki City Newsletter
Second half of March 2026 issue
▷ Temporary service counters opened at city hall on holidays
For inquiries, please contact the Citizens' Affairs Division. ☎ 6 4 8 9 - 6 4 0 8
On Saturday, March 28th and Saturday, April 4th, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, a temporary holiday counter will be open at City Hall. As this is a temporary counter, procedures other than resident change notifications such as moving in, moving out, and change of address, seal registration, and issuance of certificates such as copies of resident registration certificates will not be available. Also, as is typical in March and April, City Hall and the Hankyu Tsukaguchi Service Center are extremely crowded. Please also use the Hanshin Amagasaki and JR Amagasaki Service Centers. Moving out notifications can also be submitted online or by mail .
Click here for details
◆ My Number Card counter at city hall will also be open on Saturday, April 4th. The My Number Card counter at city hall will be open on Saturday, April 4th (normally it is open on days other than the first Saturday of the month). Please note that the Tsukaguchi counter for My Number Cards will not be open on Saturdays.
Inquiries: My Number dedicated number: ☎ 4 4 0 0 - 5 2 5 6
Web streaming service for waiting room status
We broadcast the waiting status at the Citizens' Affairs Section of City Hall and each service center.
Use your My Number Card to get certificates issued easily and at a great price!
Those who possess this card can obtain copies of their resident registration certificate and other documents at convenience stores . Online applications are also available for copies of resident registration certificates, family registers, seal certificates, and tax certificates.
At the service center, you can complete the procedure every Saturday!
From Monday to Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, some services are available at each service center. Please note that the issuance of family registers across different regions is not available on Saturdays.
▷Some sick child care rooms will be closed.
For inquiries, please contact the Child Welfare Division. ☎ 6 4 8 9 - 6 3 4 9
On March 31st, the Takahara Clinic sick child care room will close. Please use the Horiuchi Pediatric Clinic Mukonosou sick child care room or our in-home sick child care service.
▷Exhibition tracing the history of the Cultural Center
For inquiries, please contact the Cultural Promotion Foundation. ☎ 6 4 8 7 - 0 8 0 0
From March 21st to 31st, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (until 7:00 PM on the 31st), the Cultural Center will be exhibiting posters from art exhibitions and concerts, looking back on the past 50 years. Live painting, tea ceremonies, mini-concerts, and talk events will also be held.
Registration: Not required
Regarding the temporary closure of the General Cultural Center
The cultural building and hall building of the center will be closed from April. However, Amashin Archaic Hall Octo will remain open.
▷ Cherry blossom viewing canal cruise
For inquiries, please contact the Amagasaki Tourism Bureau at ☎ 6409-4946
From late March to April 5th, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM, we will be holding a cherry blossom viewing canal cruise departing from the fishing park and cruising along the Amagasaki Canal. You can also enjoy the experience of passing through the Amagasaki Lock (Amagasaki Lock) and enjoy original crepes and drinks on board. The dates of the cruise may change depending on the cherry blossom blooming status.
Price: 3800 yen for high school students and older, 2800 yen for children aged 3 to junior high school students. Reservations: From March 5th, make a reservation by phone with Mukogawa Ferry. ☎︎ 6430-6519
▷Mayor Matsumoto delivers policy speech
For inquiries, please contact the Policy Secretary. ☎ 6489 – 6474
At the 4th regular city council meeting, Mayor Matsumoto announced his policy guidelines for fiscal 2026.
The policy statement outlines the mayor's basic approach to city administration, the budget proposal, and major policies. Please take a look.
The full text of the policy statement can be found here.
▷Key points of major projects for fiscal year 2026
For inquiries, please contact the Policy Promotion Division. ☎ 6 4 8 9 – 6 1 2 4
In Amagasaki City, we are working to create a city where people want to live and continue to live, by enhancing support for children and childcare, promoting area branding to increase the value of the city, and revitalizing the local economy. We will now introduce some of the priority items from the 2026 budget proposal that we have compiled. Please note that the budget proposal, including the major projects introduced here, is currently being deliberated at the regular session of the city council.
The main business activities are as follows:
Creating an environment where people can work and raise children with peace of mind and enhancing support for child development
◆ Significant reduction in school lunch fees: Parents will be responsible for 0 yen per meal for elementary school students and half price for junior high school students in fiscal year 2026. ◆ Establishment of co-working spaces with childcare facilities. ◆ Strengthening of inclusive childcare and education systems. ◆ Strengthening of efforts to expand junior high school club activities into local communities. ◆ Installation of air conditioning in school gymnasiums, etc. ◆ Expansion of measures to address and support for truancy.
Promoting area branding and creating a good living environment that enhances the value of the town
◆Station Front Update Project◆Significant expansion of subsidies for installing security cameras in local areas
Supporting the challenges of local businesses and revitalizing the local economy where diverse talents can thrive.
◆Supporting innovation in the local community◆Introduction of a sweet vegetable vending machine with a refrigerated function
Strengthening the foundations for creating an inclusive society where everyone can live in peace
◆Introduction of home-based respite care support for children requiring medical care ◆Expansion of support for victims of crime, etc. ◆Creation of online safe spaces for people who are socially withdrawn, etc.
Promoting co-creation digital transformation to increase convenience and satisfaction for citizens
◆Digitalization of communication methods for parents and guardians ◆Implementation of online consultations regarding the use of childcare facilities ◆Introduction of digital pre-vaccination questionnaires for infants and toddlers ◆Introduction of a "procedure navigation" system to help visitors get lost.
In addition to these, we will also proceed with development projects for future urban planning.
Furthermore, as part of the 110th anniversary of the city's founding, we plan to implement various initiatives, including appointing Mitsuho Fukutome as a PR ambassador and holding a commemorative ceremony in October.
Details of our main business can be found here.
Viewing the publication of public comment results
The public comment period was from December 19th to January 8th. We received 55 opinions from 15 people. The opinions received and the city's responses will be made public until March 31st.
▷Continuing to implement measures to combat rising prices seamlessly into FY2026
For inquiries, please contact the Policy Promotion Division. ☎ 6 4 8 9 – 6 1 2 4
In Amagasaki City, we have implemented various forms of support to help those facing rising prices for food and other goods. In fiscal year 2026, we will continue to alleviate the burden on citizens and businesses and implement continuous and swift measures to address rising prices. Please note that the information presented here is currently being deliberated in the ongoing regular session of the city council (the rice vouchers and subsidies for the introduction of labor-saving and productivity-enhancing equipment were deliberated in the December session).
Rice vouchers will be distributed.
To support citizens facing rising prices for food and other items, we are distributing rice coupons that can be used at supermarkets, drugstores, etc.
While it varies by store, many stores accept the rice vouchers for items other than rice. For details on what you can purchase, please check the flyer enclosed with the rice voucher or visit the website .
Amazaki Coin Premium Campaign
We will be running a special campaign offering Amasaki Coins, which can be used at participating stores (approximately 1,500 stores) in the city, with 1 point equivalent to 1 yen, thereby promoting the revitalization of the local economy.
Full exemption from basic water and sewage charges
For citizens and businesses, the basic water charge and basic sewage usage fee (2,417 yen for two months for general households) will be fully waived for meter readings taken in June or July. The amount of the waiver will depend on the size of the water meter. No application is required.
Reducing the burden of school lunch fees for elementary and junior high schools
Even amidst the continuing rise in food costs, in order to continue providing nutritionally balanced school lunches as before, the public has been covering the increased costs of school lunches at elementary and junior high schools.
Furthermore, starting in fiscal year 2026, we will fully subsidize school lunch fees for elementary school students and subsidize half of the school lunch fees for junior high school students, thereby reducing the burden on parents.
We provide subsidies to support the introduction of labor-saving and productivity-enhancing equipment.
To support small and medium-sized enterprises in manufacturing, food service, construction, transportation, and other industries in expanding sales and improving productivity, we will subsidize a portion of the costs of introducing equipment and other measures to save labor and improve productivity.
Subsidies for credit guarantee fees
To facilitate cash flow for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and reduce business risks, Hyogo Prefecture will subsidize a portion of the credit guarantee fees for its special collaborative loan program for SMEs.
Provision of temporary financial assistance to social welfare facilities, etc.
The city will provide subsidies to social welfare facilities, educational institutions, and childcare facilities to ensure they can provide stable services to their users.
▷A traffic violation notification system (blue ticket) for bicycles will be introduced from April 1st.
For inquiries, please contact the Community Safety Division. ☎ 6489 – 6502
Starting April 1st, a new traffic violation notification system (blue ticket) will be introduced for cyclists who violate traffic laws. This system will impose fines for cyclists who commit traffic violations.
When the police confirm or discover a traffic violation by a cyclist, they will, in principle, issue guidance and warnings (such as verbal warnings) on the spot. However, in cases where the violation is particularly serious and dangerous, posing a high risk to pedestrians or other vehicles, and could cause a traffic accident, a blue ticket and a payment slip for the fine will be issued on the spot.
▷Sonoda-Nishimuko Line (Mogawa section) opens
For inquiries, please contact the Road Maintenance Department. ☎ 6489 – 6493
On Friday, March 20th, at approximately 3:00 PM, the Sonoda-Nishimuko Line (Mogawa section), a major east-west arterial road in the northern part of the city, will open. This will shorten traffic travel time in surrounding areas, which previously required detours, by about five minutes, and will also strengthen the road's disaster prevention function as an evacuation route during emergencies.
With the opening of the new line, Hanshin Bus plans to extend its AD3 route (from Hankyu Sonoda to Amagasaki Drive School) to JR Inadera Station around May. This will further improve convenience in the northeastern part of the city.
▷The damage caused by crows is increasing.
◆Be careful of crows raising their young. Crows begin building nests and breeding around March. During the breeding season from April to June, parent birds can become aggressive and may threaten or attack people, so please do not approach nests or chicks.
◆Crows are omnivores, so they won't rummage through food waste . It's said that 70 to 80 percent of urban crows' food comes from food waste. Please keep the following in mind.
▷Use up all the ingredients
▷Drain water from food waste thoroughly and take steps to reduce its volume. ▷Put out your garbage on the collection day and adhere to the collection time. ▷Use a fine-mesh bird netting and attach weights to the netting to prevent it from being blown away by the wind. ▷Put the garbage in a trash can or surround it with boards or similar material. However, if you put it in a trash can, be sure to consult with the operations department (Household Waste Information Center ☎ 6374-9999) in advance.
◆Consultations regarding capture and nest removal: Since crows are wild birds, as a general rule, it is not permitted to capture them or remove nests containing eggs or chicks. However, if harm to people is anticipated or damage to the living environment occurs, we may grant permission for capture, so please consult with the operations department.
◆Lending of crow-repellent boxes In the future, we plan to temporarily lend crow-repellent boxes to apartment buildings and garbage collection points in designated areas where crows are causing damage by scattering garbage, along with providing guidance and awareness-raising on proper garbage disposal methods.
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Amagasaki City holds a variety of events and courses that citizens can participate in.
Please see the event calendar for details.