One of the social challenges facing Japan is the social isolation of people who have no place in their communities, schools, or homes. Against this backdrop, entrepreneurs who aim for an inclusive society that transcends disability, age, gender, nationality, and other factors are attracting attention. We interviewed two social entrepreneurs active in the fields of welfare and education, and found that their volunteer experiences in developing countries led them to take on challenges in Japan.
Yuka Oku talking with users at “Minna no Ie Colorful
A “place” to connect across disabilities, age, and gender
Bon appétit! Thank you! The energetic voices echo in this century-old house. The people around the table for lunch were local children and elderly people. The children tried their hand at making dumplings.
Taketa City, Oita Prefecture, has a population of approximately 18,000 and an aging population of 50%. Minna no Ie Colorful,” located in a corner of the shopping street, is a center for exchange where anyone can stop by and spend time freely. After dinner, people of all ages can chat and enjoy snacks. Some of the child-rearing generation confide their worries about childcare.
One of the young people said, “This is the only place where I can be honest with myself. This is the only place where I can express my honest feelings. An elderly person says, “The children give me energy.
Children learning to make dumplings from elderly people at “Minna no Ie Colorful.
The facility is run by Yuka Oku, president of the NPO Teto Company. We wanted to create a place where people could come and connect with others,” she says.
Deep-rooted prejudice: “I want to change welfare” to Malaysia
When she was in her twenties, working at welfare facilities and special-needs schools, Mrs. Otsuka became acutely aware of society’s prejudice against people with disabilities. What she felt was at the root of the problem was the way welfare policies draw lines between people based on their disabilities.
Around that time, I heard someone say that disability is like being left alone in a strange country, not knowing the language. If I went to a different country, I might understand it a little better. With this in mind, I applied for the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program.
In 2014, I was sent to Malaysia to work with children with disabilities and witnessed even more serious discrimination. They were subjected to corporal punishment and confinement in private homes due to a lack of understanding. In response, I made a number of efforts to spread understanding, including inviting lecturers from Japan and holding a large-scale forum involving local residents, welfare, and school officials.
If you work hard, you can do many things. After returning to Japan, I decided to create my ideal welfare system on my own.
Yuka Oku (second from right) working as a JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteer at a school in Malaysia.
A “community without loneliness” throughout the country
Upon returning to Japan, Mrs. Takeda’s attention was caught by the unique efforts of Takeda City, the first city in Japan to declare a “return to rural areas. She applied for a position on the city’s Community Development Cooperation Team and proposed “creating a place where people from all walks of life can gather” and began her activities in 2017.
It has been about 8 years since we moved here. The number of exchange centers has increased to two, and the range of activities has expanded to include symbiotic day services for the disabled and elderly, child development support services, and more. I believe that the establishment of such places throughout Japan will be a step closer to a better future.
Creating a community where there is no loneliness – that is the goal of Oku’s activities. Oku’s activities are expected to spread throughout the region as a model for symbiosis efforts.
Yuka Oku hanging goodwill at “Minna no Ie Colorful
Children gather in a virtual space for learning
On the other hand, this is a virtual space metaverse of the Internet. What is the hardest part of your job?” . The children of NIJIN Academy, an alternative school for elementary and junior high school students, are asking the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Mr. Norikazu Suzuki, a question that appears on the screen.
The “NIJIN Academy” operates a metaverse learning and
According to a survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the number of children and students not attending school in elementary and junior high schools in FY2024 was about 354,000, the largest number ever. Tatsuro Hoshino, principal of the academy, speaks about this.
Eighty percent of truancy is due to relationships. As they stay at home, worrying about what people around them think, they are deprived of a sense of self-esteem. But if they can’t go to school, the school should go to them. That’s what the Metaverse classroom is for.”
NIJIN Academy, which opened in 2023, has a cumulative enrollment of approximately 650 students. Approximately 400 students are currently enrolled. Children choose what they “want to do” from a unique and diverse range of classes and create their own timetable. Real school buildings are also available in about 40 locations throughout Japan for students to choose from.
NIJIN Academy children presenting at the TOKYO DIGICONX booth
Mr. Hoshino is also a former member of the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. He says, “My exposure to different cultures through the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers inspired me to want to do something that would benefit Japan.”
Guatemala in search of his “true self
Growing up in a school rife with school violence and classroom disruptions, Mr. Hoshino says he was unable to open up to his family. I never liked myself, and I still have a vivid memory of thinking ‘I want to die’ during a class in junior high school,” he said. While searching for meaning in his life at university, he learned that a friend of his had applied for the JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteers program, and he decided to apply as well, thinking that he could find something to do in a country suffering from poverty.
I was sent to Guatemala to work in an education office in the department of Quiché, where the literacy rate is low. At first, I was at a loss as to what they wanted from me. However, as I talked with educational administrators, I realized that what they wanted to do was to improve the quality of education and open up the possibilities for children.
What we undertook was an educational reform that adopted the Japanese style of fun and deep learning. In math classes, we established a teacher training system to make classes “interesting” for children, rather than just cramming them with computational knowledge. We also created a system for teachers to improve each other through open classes.
Tatsuro Hoshino (far right) during his time as a JICA Overseas Cooperation Volunteer in Guatemala, training a group of educators in Guatemala.
Hopelessness just for not going to school “I want to change education.”
Upon returning to Japan, Mr. Hoshino began teaching at a public elementary school in Aomori and began to question the Japanese educational system. Children who were violent or escaped from class were considered problem children,” he said. Children who shut themselves in their shells and didn’t speak up let slip that they ‘didn’t fit in at school. Every child was a treasure of the community in my view. But the teachers, who saw them as problem children, were also struggling to manage them so they wouldn’t cause problems. I felt no one was happy.”
In Guatemala, children’s eyes were shining even in poverty. On the other hand, in affluent Japan, a child’s strength and hope are taken away simply because he or she cannot go to school. We want to change education in this country.
In April 2022, he retired and established NIJIN, Inc. In June 2025, NIJIN received the Prime Minister’s Incentive Award at the JCI JAPAN TOYP.
Some of them have debuted as V-tubers, others have started their own businesses in programming. Every day, I see children who have been hurt shine brightly.”
Education in any country can be changed if people who believe that “children are treasures” get together. Mr. Hoshino feels this way.
Tatsuro Hoshino.
Facing Japan’s Challenges through Experience in Developing Countries
JICA’s global agenda includes the core principle of the SDGs: “No one is left behind” to realize an inclusive society.
Mr. Hoshino and his wife, who “felt helpless” after facing the harsh realities of developing countries as Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, are now taking on the challenge of changing Japan one step at a time. Their experiences have led them to take on their own challenges, and step by step, they are changing Japan.
© Source JICA