TRUSTBANK uses AI agents to personalize Furusato Nozei gifts

Japan's hometown tax donation program, known as Furusato Nozei, allows taxpayers to support municipalities they care about by making a donation. As people move to large cities like Tokyo, local tax bases in rural towns shrink, so the program was designed to let taxpayers redirect a portion of their taxes to the communities they want to support. In practice, it works through a tax credit system: up to an income based cap, most of the donated amount is credited against the donor's income and resident taxes for the following year. In return, municipalities send donors thank-you gifts, typically local specialty products, so donors can enjoy regional offerings while contributing to local communities.

However, many donors find the program difficult to navigate, given the sheer number of municipalities and the enormous catalog of thank-you gifts. To simplify the process and help donors compare options by region or theme, dedicated platforms have emerged. Furusato Choice, operated by TRUSTBANK, is one of Japan's largest Furusato Nozei platforms, with roughly 760,000 thank-you gifts listed. Its intuitive interface has helped municipalities connect with donors, and it has supported many platform users, especially those participating for the first time.

To further improve the experience, TRUSTBANK looked to AI, recognizing its potential to help users make decisions when the range of options feels overwhelming. Using the OpenAI API, the company developed the Choice AI feature, which helps users discover thank-you gifts that match their preferences.

“Many people find the hometown tax donation system complicated or intimidating.”

—Yuki Tateyama, Product General Manager at Choice Business HQ

Building Choice AI through collaboration with Recursive

Issei Hirano, Head of Platform Promotion in the Product Division, explains the decision, We selected Recursive as our partner because of their advanced AI expertise and their global experience.