As a Claude Community Ambassador for Anthropic, I plan and host an ongoing series of AI hackathons on local issues across Nishi-Kyushu. These are held as Claude Community events: participants receive API credits from Anthropic and build prototypes with Claude Code to take on the challenges of their own region.
The first edition, "SASEBO | Claude for Our Kids," took place on August 22, 2026, under the banner "Stop the youth outflow — a hackathon for the town's serious adults." Despite the bar to entry — 18 or older, hands-on experience with Claude Code or Cowork — around 80 people showed up including spectators. Six teams of 23 builders shipped working prototypes in effectively half a day. Four media outlets (NHK, NBC, the Nagasaki Shimbun, and TV Sasebo) covered the event, and two members of Anthropic Japan joined us on site.
The advanced implementation power of agentic AI should not belong to big cities alone — we spread it locally and turn it into opportunity. And we grow a culture, starting from Nishi-Kyushu, where the adults of a region patch their own town's problems with their own hands.
Read the Event Report ↗- First edition "SASEBO | Claude for Our Kids" held — around 80 visitors including spectators2026
- 6 teams, 23 builders shipped prototypes in a single day2026
- Covered by 4 media outlets (NHK / NBC / Nagasaki Shimbun / TV Sasebo); 2 members of Anthropic Japan attended2026
- Next editions in Saga Prefecture (Karatsu & Tosu) in preparation2026
- Looking for people to build the excitement with us