NewsInformation

The "250 Keirin (PIST6)," which began in October 2021, has been developed with the aim of attracting a new fan base through a format different from traditional Keirin. Through collaboration with YouTuber Hikaru, the event has attracted attention, particularly from younger generations, and has achieved some success, such as an increase in the number of members of the official betting service. The event has also created social significance, such as creating a lively local community and contributing to Chiba City.
While our efforts to date have attracted much attention and a new fan base, we have also identified challenges for further growth. In order to realize even greater potential, we will temporarily suspend the event in the second half of fiscal 2025 and will resume it as soon as preparations are complete.
During the closure, the facility will be used as a place to contribute to the local community, promoting sports in the region and creating excitement by improving the competitive abilities of high school and university students and hosting tournaments.

[JPF President and CEO Shuntaro Watanabe]
PIST6 is Koei Kyogi run by Chiba City, and is managed by our company, JPF, and our subsidiary, PIST6 Co., Ltd. My comments, as the person in charge of the management company group, will outline our efforts to date and future direction.
Following my father's early death, I took over the management of JPF, which was run by a relative. At the time, Keirin sales had fallen to one-third of their peak, fans were aging, and there was no end to Keirin-jyo that were closing or considering closing.
--My first time at Keirin-jyo was a shock.
Outdated facilities, high fences topped with barbed wire, security guards in dingy uniforms, and a skewed clientele.
However, the athletes racing on the bank were undoubtedly first-class athletes.
Upon investigation, I discovered that KEIRIN is an Olympic event, and that there are medalists among active Keirin rider. I felt that in order to revive Keirin, it was necessary to hold Keirin under international rules, which would lead to increased popularity, improve the status of the racers, and rebrand Keirin, and I have been doing everything I can to achieve this. However, I also found that no one in Keirin world is willing to invest in holding races under international rules.
Our company has survived until now thanks to the world of Keirin. It is also thanks to the world of Keirin that I was able to become a lawyer. Therefore, in order to give back to the world Keirin and to help the world of Keirin take off, we have used our company's internal reserves and bank loans to fully fund the reconstruction of our hometown's Keirin-jyo in Chiba into an international-standard dome, and Chiba City will implement international-standard Keirin (PIST6). Needless to say, it took a great deal of cooperation from the local community, including the racers, the mayor, the deputy mayor, and others, to get us there.
PIST6 is a project aimed at acquiring new fans, and competing for existing sales would be a futile endeavor. With that in mind, we aimed to generate sales from scratch with our own sales system and marketing strategy. Especially after our partner company withdrew, we conducted marketing with our own funds and know-how. Thanks to the involvement of YouTuber Hikaru and the efforts of Chiba City's Mayor, Kamiya, we were able to achieve some success in an entirely new market. As a result, many family-friendly fans began attending the weekend events. Furthermore, some riders have gone on to challenge themselves on the world stage, even winning the Masters World Championships. We've also heard from people who became fans of Keirin rider and started Keirin as a result of PIST6.
However, there are limits to our company's marketing alone, and it has become difficult from a management strategic perspective to continue the PIST6 business as it is. Therefore, Chiba City has decided to revise the format of the event to make it easier for betting companies to handle PIST6 tickets. This will create an environment in which more people than ever before can enjoy PIST6.
We are very sorry that we were unable to continue expanding the market on our own, and that this has resulted in the temporary suspension of the event. However, this decision is in order to move forward into the future, continuing PIST6, raising the status of Keirin, and creating a new market. With casinos and sports betting on the rise, raising the status of Keirin is an urgent priority for its survival and development.
To that end, we will continue to strive to make Keirin and cycling into a major sport. We want children and the younger generation to know about and admire these sports. We will spread the appeal of these sports from Chiba to all of Japan, and indeed the world.
We would like to ask for your continued understanding and guidance in our activities, as well as your continued support for PIST6.

[JPF Managing Director/President and CEO of PIST6, Kazuki Suzuki]
PIST6, which began in October 2021, will soon be four years old. PIST6 is a new Keirin event that conforms to the same international rules as the Olympic event KEIRIN and is hosted by Chiba City, with our company taking charge of its operation. Furthermore, the venue, Chiba JPF Dome (TIPSTAR DOME CHIBA), is an international-standard velodrome in a prime location worldwide, and we feel that it is a facility with great potential, including in terms of facilities.
However, it will take time for a new culture to take root, such as having people enjoy cycling as a major sport, which is JPF's goal, and we feel that we are not strong enough to do so.
We are very sorry that PIST6 will be going on hiatus this October, as we enter our fifth year, and that we will not be able to meet the expectations of our fans who were looking forward to it.
All PIST6 management members are currently working together to prepare for the reopening. We will do our utmost to bring you an even more powerful PIST6 when it reopens. Furthermore, we have a number of cycling-related events planned for the Chiba JPF Dome during the hiatus.
Although we will be temporarily suspending operations for now, we will continue to work hard through PIST6 to make cycling a major sport in Japan and to revitalize the city through Koei Kyogi, so we appreciate your continued support.