No.169 Opening of the Wakabadai Community Center

On January 21, 2026, a Fureai Center was opened in a corner of the expanded building of Wakabadai Elementary School, and an opening ceremony was held.

The Fureai Center in Wakabadai is the ninth in the city, and we are pleased that with this opening, Fureai Centers have been established in all districts of the city.

The Fureai Center is a place that serves as a "community veranda," where people of all ages in the neighborhood gather and interact through various activities. It is operated by the Inagi City Social Welfare Council with subsidies from the city.

Since its first establishment in the Hirao area, the goal has been to set up one center in each district, and they have been developed sequentially. Currently, there are 10 towns in the city from Yanokuchi to Wakabadai, and eight Fureai Centers have been established so far. The Fureai Centers located within the Welfare Center cover the Higashi-Naganuma and Momura districts, meaning that practically one center has been set up in each district except for Wakabadai.

The Wakabadai area is the newest town in the city, with residents moving in starting in 1999. At the time the town opened, the aging rate was about 8%, making it an exceptionally young community, so there was no immediate need for a Fureai Center. Although it remains a relatively young town today, aging has progressed similarly to other areas, and requests have begun to be raised at Town Hall Meetings and other forums.

However, Wakabadai is a planned city developed as part of the Tama New Town project, and since all the land has already been disposed of, there was a difficult challenge in securing land or facilities to establish a Fureai Center.

On the other hand, Wakabadai Elementary School, which was one of the largest schools in Tokyo, was expected to have surplus classrooms as the number of students decreased, and it was hoped that repurposing the extended school building would solve the issue. With the understanding of the Board of Education this time, the center was successfully opened.

On the opening day, Tama TV also covered the event, and a great many nearby residents came rushing in, creating a palpable sense of expectation and enthusiasm for the Fureai Center. Additionally, many coordinators applied to help operate the Fureai Center, promising to make it a lively place.

As a city, we will continue to promote health and welfare policies through support for the Social Welfare Council, so that residents can continue to live independently and securely in their familiar communities. We also ask everyone in the community to help expand the circle of mutual support and assistance.

In FY2025, as a first step, the Fureai Center was initially established by temporarily repurposing surplus classrooms. Moving forward, we plan to involve local residents in forming a management council for the entire extended school building and discuss effective utilization of the other parts. We hope that these discussions will lead to agreements that allow for the effective use of the space for various civic activities.

Everyone, please come to the Fureai Center and make use of it!