News

EasyDialog has deployed easyPhone, a generative AI phone-answering system, for Ichinoseki City in Iwate Prefecture. Operating as the city’s reception system (AI phone), the service went live on March 16, 2026. This is the first case in Japan of a municipality introducing a full-stack generative AI phone service for residents, and the first municipal phone service in Japan built around RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) rather than conventional FAQ registration.

Residents can dial the dedicated number and ask questions in natural conversation; the AI understands the intent and responds directly. When an inquiry cannot be handled by the AI, the system takes the caller’s contact details and the appropriate staff member calls back.

EasyDialog has launched its generative AI chatbot easyBot on the official website of Oita Prefecture (released February 19, 2026) and the official website of Oshu City, Iwate (released March 6, 2026). Residents and businesses can now access essential public information through AI chat 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Designed for government services, easyBot is a RAG-based conversational AI platform built for accuracy, security, and operational reliability. Its new management dashboard helps visualize inquiry trends and user needs, giving municipalities a practical tool to accelerate digital transformation.

EasyDialog LLC today announced that the Shiga Prefectural Police has become the first law enforcement agency in Japan to deploy a generative AI–powered driver’s license chatbot, easyBot. Featured in NHK’s national evening news, this groundbreaking initiative marks a new era in public administration.

Unlike typical municipal chatbots, easyBot meets the stringent reliability standards required for official police guidance, ensuring citizens and foreign drivers can access accurate information 24/7 in 35 languages. The system reproduces the precision and professionalism of in-person counter services while expected to significantly reduce the current call volume — previously averaging over 250 inquiries per day.

By combining EasyDialog’s proprietary GenAI framework with verified government data, Shiga Police is setting a national benchmark for safe, multilingual, and high-trust digital citizen services.

Links

Official Shiga Police Chatbot

• https://www.pref.shiga.lg.jp/police/menkyo/345911/346344.html
• https://shiga-police.easybot.me/

NHK News Report

• https://news.web.nhk/newsweb/na/nb-2060019482
• To watch video: click square icon, then the first and second highlighted links.

Article

• https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000005.000139375.html

Last week, more than 20 major Japanese newspapers and international Japan-related media featured EasyDialog’s conversational AI terminal easyTalk, after initial coverage by Kyodo News agency. easyTalk has been in operation in Ichinoseki City, Japan, since May this year.

The news articles emphasize that the system runs on a shared platform with the city’s existing GenAI chatbot, supports administrative guidance and application form assistance, and engages in colloquial conversations even with seniors — with coverage ranging from Hokkaido Shimbun in the north to Ryukyu Shimpo on southern Okinawa.

Links

Kyodo News articles

• https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/59730 (English)
• https://www.47news.jp/13024480.html (日本語)

G.K. EasyDialog (Yokohama, Japan) has launched Japan’s first AI-powered citizen service terminal, easyTalk, at the city hall of Ichinoseki – a fully integrated system that not only provides information but also takes real-world action: from facial recognition and ID scanning to automated form processing.

Acting like a top-tier civil servant – only faster, available 24/7, and without waiting times – easyTalk understands natural language, delivers accurate responses, completes forms automatically, and routes inquiries directly to the relevant departments. Connected to the city’s entire knowledge base, including over 7,000 web pages, it instantly identifies the correct department for each request and suggests the appropriate forms or procedures. This streamlines administrative tasks and significantly reduces staff workload.

Related coverage

• PR TIMES - Press release on AI implementation at Ichinoseki City Hall

EasyDialog’s patented AI platform allows seamless integration, bringing the same AI chatbot technology from PCs to LINE with minimal adjustments. This marks a major step toward intuitive, conversation-based public services.

Since March 15, 2024, EasyDialog has been providing Japan’s first generative AI-powered chatbot for citizens on the official website of Ichinoseki City, Japan. This initiative has not only facilitated easier access to administrative information and services but also strengthened communication between the city government and its citizens, allowing for a more responsive approach to community needs.

The newly introduced easyTalk integrates with municipal databases and web resources and features multilingual voice, touch, and camera input functions. Its user-friendly design ensures accessibility for a broad range of citizens, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and foreign residents.

While the presence of government staff for individual citizen support remains essential, easyTalk is expected to significantly alleviate their workload and contribute to more efficient operations.

As Japan’s first Public Service AI, easyTalk is being showcased at Technical Show Yokohama 2025, held from February 5 to 7, 2025. This event, bringing together over 800 companies and organizations from across Japan, offers visitors an opportunity to experience the latest in digital transformation (DX) technology.

Technical Show Yokohama 2025

• Dates: February 5-7, 2025 (Wed-Fri) 10:00-17:00
• Venue: Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Halls A, B, C (1-1-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama)
• EasyDialog Booth: A01 in Yokohama Manufacturing Zone
• Official Website: https://www.tech-yokohama.jp/

This project exemplifies new possibilities in the digitalization of local governments and serves as a valuable model case for other municipalities.

For more details, please refer to the J-LIS Magazine June 2024 issue.

Featured in J-LIS Magazine, June 2024 Edition

https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000003.000139375.html

Kyoto Prefecture, a historic city and cultural symbol of Japan, has selected GK EasyDialog (Tokyo) as a participant in its future “Super City” development project. GK EasyDialog is set to introduce an innovative approach to tracking work routines within this next-generation smart city initiative.

Links

• https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/bunkaga/news/supercity/result.html (Japanese only)

This month, GK EasyDialog (Tokyo, Japan) collaborated with a global leader in healthcare AI based in Japan to publish a joint study in “Value in Health.” The study explores the benefits of using voice bots for interviewing patients about their health status. “Value in Health” is a renowned journal widely recognized for its contributions to medical strategy research.

In Japan, many people are seeking information about the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), but often find themselves overwhelmed by the number of hotlines available. To address this issue, GK EasyDialog (Tokyo, Japan) has released “CoronaBot,” a voice- and chat-enabled AI bot that helps both Japanese residents and foreigners quickly connect to the appropriate hotline. This tool makes it easier for everyone to access the information they need.

Cognigy, a global leader in conversational AI, has announced a strategic partnership with GK EasyDialog. Together, Cognigy and GK EasyDialog aim to deliver seamless conversational experiences for both customers and employees. The partnership will focus on promoting the implementation of voice assistants to enable the most natural automated interactions through both voice and text.