From cash-strapped local governments to small municipalities eager to promote their cultural and tourism resources, public servants are increasingly turning to the world's biggest video site.
Osaka Prefecture, Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, and Hakodate, Hokkaido, are among local authorities that have gone online in attempts to benefit from self-made clips on YouTube, which is believed to have more than 20 million frequent viewers across Japan.
Deficit-ridden Osaka opened an official "movie news" YouTube channel in February in place of the public relations TV and radio programs it terminated last summer to help reduce costs.