Rare sugars are defined by the International Society of Rare Sugar as “monosaccharides and derivatives that exist only in trace amounts in nature.” Although each exists in small quantities, there are more than 50 types. Kagawa University established a systematic production method for rare sugars, “Izumoring,” in the 1990s, making it possible to produce a variety of rare sugars [1]. Since then, functional analysis research has been actively progressing. Kagawa Prefecture has become recognized as a hub for rare sugar research, and through industry-academia-government collaboration, it has been able to commercialize D-allulose (also known as D-psicose). In addition, it has been selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Regional Innovation Ecosystem Formation Program (2017) and the Cabinet Office’s Regional Core University Innovation Creation Environment Strengthening Basic Research (2023), and efforts are being made to promote the commercialization of rare sugars in various industrial fields and to create innovation in collaboration with local industries, utilizing the research achievements of research institutions.