Jag Project launches free open-source app to digitize Japan’s neighborhood circular board

Tokyo-based Jag Project, LLC has released Jag Kairanban-app, a free open-source web app that moves neighborhood association notices from paper clipboards to smartphones. The launch aims to preserve the kairanban’s community functions while cutting delays, improving readability and keeping more of the maintenance money inside local neighborhoods.

Why it matters: - Japan’s neighborhood associations still rely on paper kairanban clipboards, which can take a week or more to circulate through every home. - Jag Kairanban-app is designed to keep the kairanban’s core role intact while making notices faster to deliver and easier to track. - The app also aims to keep more operating money inside the neighborhood instead of sending monthly subscription fees to outside vendors.

What happened: - Jag Project, LLC officially released Jag Kairanban-app, a free open-source web app for neighborhood associations in Japan. - The app was publicly available as a preview since August 2026. - The release replaces the paper door-to-door clipboard model with smartphone notices for residents. - The app is available in Japanese, Easy Japanese, English, Chinese and Vietnamese.

The details: - The app automatically records who has pressed “I have read this” for each notice. - Jag Kairanban-app also supports hall bookings, meeting attendance, documents, membership applications, garbage-collection information and disaster information. - Members do not need an app-store account. - Residents log in with a phone number instead of a password. - For iPhone users, adding the app to the home screen is required, and the iOS share sheet is used to show the instructions. - Jag Project measured that the top 42.7 percent of the screen remains visible while the share sheet is open, and placed each setup step with photos inside that visible area. - The official release removes the need for an AI tool during setup, unlike the August preview. - An association officer registers an email address with Jag Utilities, the company’s tool desk, to open a free setup wizard. - The setup wizard asks for details such as the association’s name and the location of its hall. - The officer then receives two configuration files and step-by-step instructions for Mac or Windows. - Running a setup file publishes the app without typing commands. - The officer needs a PC, free development tools and a free Cloudflare account. - The software is MIT-licensed. - Server costs are zero for a typical association within the free tier, as of September 2026.

Between the lines: - The release treats the kairanban as a social system, not just a notification tool, by preserving the doorstep check on older neighbors. - Jag Project is positioning the product as “digital self-governance,” with residents or local businesses maintaining the system instead of a monthly subscription vendor. - The open-source model lowers adoption barriers, but the lack of a support desk, warranty or installation service means associations must be more self-sufficient. - The company is signaling that local customization and community control matter as much as software features.

What’s next: - Jag Project is looking for one neighborhood association to test the app in real use. - The company wants to grow the system together with associations across Japan. - Jag Kairanban-app will continue as open-source software improved on GitHub rather than as a packaged commercial product. - The app’s public rollout will likely depend on whether neighborhood associations can adopt the setup flow without outside help.

The bottom line: - Jag Project is trying to modernize a decades-old neighborhood communication system without breaking its community role or sending fees outside the neighborhood.