On April 9, JAL unveiled the six new “JAL Hometown Ambassadors” for fiscal 2026.
JAL hometown ambassadors are flight attendants who are selected through an in-house recruitment process and move to their hometowns or other areas with which they have a connection and become JAL hometown project staff to develop products and solve regional issues. The basic term of the Ambassador is one year, but can be extended if desired.
At the beginning of the previous fiscal year, 24 cabin attendants from the group company J-AIR (J-AIR) were added as a new initiative, and 24 were appointed in 21 domestic regions. Two more (Taiwan and Thailand) were added as hometown ambassadors GLOBAL at overseas bases, for a total of 26 employees. There was a slight turnover, with new members joining from JAC (Japan Air Commuter) in June and October, for a total of 29 hometown ambassadors in FY2025.
In FY2026, except for 6 new appointments (5 JAL, 1 J-AIR), 15 will continue their terms of office, for a total of 23 members (21 from 17 domestic districts + 2 GLOBAL (Taiwan, Singapore)).
We spoke with Minori Mizukami of the Hokkaido Branch Office and Mao Fujimoto of the Oita Branch Office, two of the six who just arrived in April.
Mr. Mizukami had worked on regional revitalization at the Regional Business Headquarters organized under the Corona disaster, and during his three years at that time he was involved in high value-added projects in tourist areas in Yokohama, the revitalization of a satoyama in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and peninsular regions throughout Japan, before returning to international and domestic flight operations. And now, as the newly appointed hometown ambassador, he would like to “immerse himself” in Hokkaido, his hometown, and engage in activities to energize the local community.
Hitomeguri-go,” a chartered train operated in cooperation with JR Hokkaido, as well as Hokkaido wines produced from varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fujimoto, who belongs to J-AIR and is originally from Hyogo, said he was fascinated by the nature of Oita, which he visited for the first time for a photo shoot when handling the “June 8th” fragrance mist sold in-flight to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Itami – Oita route in 2024. Later, when he saw an internal call for ambassadors, he remembered his experience in Oita, which led him to this appointment.
He described himself as “still a newbie to Oita,” and said he would like to convey the beauty of Oita, such as its natural beauty and food, which can be found only by being unfamiliar with the area.
Travel Watch has already published a series of articles introducing this initiative, “Regional Love: Interview with JAL Hometown Ambassadors and Supporters,” more than 160 times since October 2022. We will have an opportunity to report on the activities of the newly appointed ambassadors in future articles in the series.
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