GROWTH VERSE Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman and CTO Mitsunori Minamino; President and CEO Tomohiro Watanabe; hereinafter "GROWTH VERSE") is pleased to announce that its group company, Denwa Hoso Kyoku Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kita-ku, Osaka; President Masayuki Mori; hereinafter "Denwa Hoso Kyoku"), a provider of DX solutions for phone support such as IVR (voice bots), has had its AI phone auto-response service "DHK CANVAS Agent Plan" adopted for the citizen affairs phone support operations of Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture (population approx. 476,000). Full-scale operation commenced on July 1, 2026. This marks the first full-scale implementation of an AI for citizen affairs phone support in a designated or core city nationwide (according to our own research. This initiative was also reported as a "national first" in the Asahi Shimbun on June 27, 2026). Background Kurashiki City's Citizen Affairs Division receives thousands of phone calls monthly regarding resident relocation, inquiries about My Number cards, and more. However, the number of phone lines is limited, leading to difficulties in reaching the division during peak periods. To address these challenges, an AI-powered automatic phone response system was introduced with the aim of reducing the burden on staff while enhancing convenience for citizens. Implementation Overview * Implementing Body: Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture * Target Operations: Phone support for the Citizen Affairs Division (Family Register, Resident Records, My Number Cards, etc.) * Start of Operation: July 1, 2026 * Dedicated Phone Number: 050-3499-0208 * Support Scale: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, simultaneous support for 300 callers * Product Utilized: DHK CANVAS Agent Plan Service Mechanism The AI listens to questions from citizens and provides answers by referencing official information such as the Kurashiki City website. If the AI cannot handle a query, it is designed to transfer a summary of the question