As Japan tries to mobilize underemployed workers and revitalize business outside major city centers like Tokyo and Osaka, crowdsourcing — the allocation of tasks to remote workers online — may become a valuable tool.

Crowdsourcing has blossomed with the advent of the online economy, and the United States has become a hotbed of activity for crowdsourcing platforms — companies that connect clients with willing workers.

The past several years have seen crowdsourcing flourish in Japan, too. Such platforms have secured capital from major global investors, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry noted the benefits of crowdsourcing in its 2014 White Paper on small- and midsize enterprises.