Chomoro! Chomorrow !

■Chomoro! Chomorrow !

"An interesting future just around the corner" Chomoro!

"Change Tomorrow" Chomorrow !

Pop & tech event @ Takeshiba, Tokyo Bay Area.

There were 90 contents and 30,000 visitors over two days.

thank you very much.

Robots, AI, IoT, 5G, anime, e-sports, comedy, J-POP.

We are creating a smart city, a tech and pop hub.

This is the unveiling event.

Finally, reality is back.

A fun Halloween is just around the corner, Chomohalo.

Chomorobo is an interesting robot that's just a little ahead of its time.

A city where robots work and live in harmony with humans.

A parade featuring nine robots, children, and comedians.

However, just doing this on the road requires a lot of coordination with the police, local communities, and so on.

Thank you to everyone involved.

Robot Town, the town where robots live, is also home to a large gathering of robots that were not able to take part in the parade.

We also held a "VR art performance" in which we submitted the works we created to NFT.

Workshop collections are also available.

Programming, crafting, performance.

The future created by children.

Real World Collectible Figures are back.

There will also be a digital picture book fair.

Works come from all over the world.

Let's create a digital picture book for the post-COVID era.

Next to Kimura Yuichi, who was giving a speech, NHK was exhibiting a Chico-chan disaster prevention corner.

Congratulations to Yabe Taro on the publication of the first volume of "Tona-san in the Dressing Room"!

KMD Forum @ Chomoro.

Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University.

This is an international graduate school that "creates" through design, technology, management, and policy.

KMD students exhibiting "world first" items.

A real-virtual escape game that travels between the metaverse and real space.

Players in the VR space of Takeshiba's digital twin and the real venue space work together to solve puzzles. An interesting worldview.

I think this would be for sale.

Of course, iU will also be participating.

Robots, streaming, femtech, regional development, MaaS , and more.

Creating an exciting future.

A joint research project between iU 's B Lab and the RIKEN AIP.

"Super School Song" Project.

A school song for everyone created by AI.

The demo version has arrived!

Some interesting e-sports in the near future include:

Takashi Fukunishi and Keisuke Tsuboi will also be participating.

thank you!

A bit of a funny comedy from a while ago.

The comedians who remained in the third round of the M1 preliminaries performed.

In the food area, Yoshimoto Cooking Club also provided "sustainable spring rolls" made with cricket powder and extract.

Welcome to Chomoro, CRAZY COCO!

See you next year.

Read More

Longevity in Japanese Companies: The "S" in SDGs

 ■ Longevity in Japanese Companies: The "S" in SDGs

Research on long-lived companies has shown that over the past 40 years, family-run businesses generally perform better than non-family ones. Notably, the uniquely Japanese practice of adopting sons-in-law has proven to be an effective strategy, often resulting in better outcomes than in other family or non-family managed firms. In Kyoto's venerable merchant families, it's commonly said that having a daughter means gaining a good son-in-law.

Another hallmark is the emphasis on "the path."

More than just prospering in business, these companies prioritize a merchant's ethical path that values simplicity and frugality, often explicitly outlined in family teachings. Eighty percent of these long-standing companies have formal family mottos. Operating in a society with minimal religious influence, they have maintained a management style distinct from Western Christian-based philanthropy.

In contrast to Western business focus on profit, sales, shareholders, speed, and market share, these businesses prioritize customer first, core business focus, quality standards, and adherence to foundational principles. They also foster a strong sense of unity and familial ties with employees, symbiosis with the community, and support for cultural and artistic endeavors.

However, the research consistently points out that a spirit of enterprise and innovation are also crucial for longevity.

Organizations that have lasted more than a century have endured wars, occupations, regime changes, and disasters. They have developed resilience to survive major upheavals, such as pandemics and the digital revolution, epitomizing sustainability—the "S" in SDGs. Arguably, they provide a compelling counterpoint to the American model of a 30-year corporate lifespan.

Japan has a unique position to promote itself as a leader in producing companies that sustainably coexist with employees and their communities, showcasing this approach as an SDGs model. The strategy of nurturing long-lived, traditional companies could well be a valuable export of "Cool Japan" to the global stage, offering lessons in corporate longevity and sustainability.

Read More

The Nation of Long-Lived Companies, Japan

■ The Nation of Long-Lived Companies, Japan

Japan Post established in 1871, MIT in 1861, Stanford in 1891, and Keio in 1868.

I have been associated with institutions boasting over 150 years of history, entirely by coincidence.

Now, with the startup iU, I'm implementing with a vision aiming for the next 150 years. It's inevitable.

Spending more time in my hometown Kyoto, I explore shops that have been around for centuries: a 200-year-old pickle shop, a 300-year-old fan shop, a 400-year-old hand towel shop, a 500-year-old soba noodle restaurant, and a 1000-year-old tea shop.

150 years is considered young here, and 100 years merely childlike. I am fascinated by the management of these long-standing businesses.

In Japan, companies that have lasted over 100 years are referred to as "long-established," numbering between 30,000 to 50,000. This is unrivaled globally. There are 532 of these companies listed on the stock exchange.

More than 3000 companies have existed for over 200 years, comprising 56% of such enterprises worldwide. Germany follows with 800, and the Netherlands with 200.

There are 16 companies that have been around for over 1000 years. Germany has seven, the UK four, Italy two, and France one. Longevity is a hallmark of Japan.

Among these venerable enterprises:

41.5% are small and medium-sized businesses with annual sales under 100 million yen, the largest percentage but with the lowest rate of emergence at 1.69%.

Large corporations with sales over 50 billion yen represent the smallest group at 1.7%, yet they have the highest rate of emergence at 15.1%.

The sectors of retail, wholesale, and manufacturing constitute 45.5% and 25.1%, respectively.

There are numerous sake breweries and inns, and many have shifted to real estate.

Kyoto Prefecture has the highest rate of emergence at 4.73%.

A standout characteristic is their status as family businesses.

In Japan, 99% of business establishments and 86% of the workforce are employed in family businesses, and 53% of listed companies are family-run.

Most long-established companies are also family-operated.

While business studies often push for the separation of ownership and management for efficient governance, Japan embraces a different path.

Conversely, family businesses offer advantages such as efficient internal management, swift decision-making, and a focus on long-term gains.

The importance of low-cost funding from acquaintances and high corporate motivation are also increasingly recognized.

Read More

Impressive Innovations at Sanjo City University

■ Impressive Innovations at Sanjo City University

I visited Sanjo City University in Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture, and had the opportunity to discuss with President Ahmad Shahriar. This powerful new public university is fostering talent through industry-academia collaboration in a town known for manufacturing. It's commendable that such an institution has been established.

The university collaborates with over 100 local companies, providing all students with internship opportunities. They refine their skills by extensively using advanced equipment for grinding, welding, non-destructive testing, and 3D printing. The university also undertakes material development in physics and chemistry, thus supporting the R&D functions of the manufacturing town. Here, students grow through hands-on development and practice rather than traditional academic research, becoming valuable assets to local companies. The concept is clear and decidedly innovative.

Donations are increasing, and scholarships are being offered. The majority of students are male, while a neighboring nursing and medical school is predominantly female. The shared cafeteria fosters interaction. Despite being only in its second year, the university has already attracted the attention of Prime Minister Kishida, a testament to its well-executed design.

The greatest challenge faced during the university's inception was dealing with the Ministry of Education. Laughingly, it mirrors my experience with iU. When attempting to establish a school with a new concept, the lack of precedents poses significant hurdles. We have proposed to jointly create a groundbreaking graduate school that transcends Japan’s traditional educational frameworks—a daring and visionary project.

Read More

Measures for Creators' Royalty!?

■ Measures for Creators' Royalty!?

The Copyright Subcommittee of the Cultural Council has begun its discussions this year.

The theme is "What are your thoughts on appropriate measures for returning royalties to creators?"

There are two main points:

1) The source of the royalties:

    Previously, the discussion focused on royalties from manufacturers to creators.

    That is no longer realistic.

    So, what possibilities are there?

    Internet businesses such as platforms

    Users of mobile devices and other telecommunications

    The general public, i.e., taxpayers

    The options vary depending on these stakeholders.

2) What is a reasonable amount of royalties?

If the reason is market failure, where the rightful compensation for content is lost, how much should it be quantitatively, and where is the lost profit flowing? The extent of the external economics/ripple effects of content should be demonstrated by data, and policies should be formulated accordingly.

Research and academic analysis are needed. This has not been done yet.

Additionally, "social understanding" is extremely important.

Once, the software and hardware, content, and device industries had a harmonious relationship.

Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, and other hardware manufacturers used to own record and film production companies.

Eventually, they became adversaries, leading to today's situation dominated by American IT companies.

This issue is not only a matter of business strategy within the related industries but also pertains to national industrial policy beyond mere regulatory offices.

It also poses an educational question of how to treat the production and consumption of content as something valuable.　

Read More

Finally, Moving from Internet Safety to Internet Creativity

■Finally, Moving from Internet Safety to Internet Creativity

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is shifting its ICT literacy policy from focusing primarily on safety measures like filtering to also encompass creativity and social interaction. They are currently preparing for a new conference. As the vice chairman of the Safe Internet Creation Promotion Council, I have also begun to partake in these discussions.

It has taken 13 years from the establishment of the Safe Net Council for the government's efforts to pivot from a negative to a positive approach. "At last," is the feeling I get. Back in 1995, at the Information G7 Summit in Belgium, a Japanese proposal dubbed "the digital age is for children" was adopted, which led to the first Jr Summit in Tokyo and the second at MIT. This was the catalyst for me to leave my government position and join MIT, pushing forward initiatives like one laptop per child.

Progress in Japan has been slow; in 2008, the Prime Minister at the time declared "mobile phones have nothing but disadvantages for children," which promoted a trend of distancing children from digital technology. Alarmed by this, I gathered like-minded individuals who believed in the overwhelmingly positive aspects of digital technology, and together we established the Safe Net Council.

The inaugural meeting included notables such as Masayoshi Son and CEOs of the three major telecom carriers, all key players in Japan's digital landscape. The common goal was not to distance children from technology but to find ways to responsibly integrate it into their lives. Yet, the movement did not initially go in this intended direction.

Two years later, I founded DiTT and launched a campaign promoting digital textbooks, networking schools, and one laptop per child as a positive movement. It was challenging; it took eight years for the legislation allowing digital textbooks to be passed and programming to become a mandatory part of the curriculum. The one laptop per child initiative was realized through the GIGA scheme. Without the pandemic, it might have taken another 25 years.

While I had hoped that the promotion of digital education and the Safe Net initiative would proceed hand-in-hand, I was unable to merge these efforts due to insufficient support. Now that every child has access to digital learning environments, the tide has finally turned, and it feels like we have reached a significant milestone. However, the challenges continue. The next big question is how to establish digital citizenship.

As digitization in schools advances, there will undoubtedly be disruptions and issues, but I trust in the capabilities of the sites and the students and wish to continue monitoring them. The focus of policy will shift towards the home, particularly addressing disparities. The challenge will move from being solely about education to encompassing communication issues—a shift from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

While safeguarding literacy regarding security and misinformation remains crucial, it is even more important to foster creativity and communication skills. Adults are not yet proficient; in some areas, children may surpass them. It's crucial that both children and adults use and learn from digital tools together. As technology evolves, so too must our approaches to education. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all method, especially as the platforms and tools continually change.

Ultimately, the aim of these policies should be to enhance the "user power" of the populace. Digital tools should be primarily useful, enjoyable, and safe—in that order. Up until now, there has been an excessive focus on safety, neglecting the importance of making digital experiences more beneficial and enjoyable. It's time to strengthen strategies that enhance creativity and empathy.

Read More

The Future of the Metaverse

■ The Future of the Metaverse

 At the Kyoto Smart City Expo 2022, we discussed "The Future of the Metaverse" with Naoto Kato, CEO of Cluster.

Cluster is Japan's largest metaverse platform and holds the global record for hosting virtual events.

　It has hosted various events, including Virtual Shibuya’s Halloween, the M1 Grand Prix in Virtual Osaka, and events for Disney and Pokémon. Moreover, users are rapidly creating their own spaces, starting businesses, and opening shops within this virtual landscape.

Physical digitization begins with gaming, where real spaces are being replaced by virtual equivalents. However, not everything will be replaced; the real world will remain as a "luxury" that destructs the environment.

Web3 and the metaverse are "unrelated." Their rise in popularity merely coincides.

Meta represents the ideology of computers being liberated from the physical form, with VR as its technology.

Web3 embodies the ideology of decentralization, with blockchain as its technology.

Factors that will further propel the metaverse include pandemics, wars, and aging populations. It has advanced due to COVID-19, and wars will continue to accelerate its development. Aging will increase the number of recluses engaging in the metaverse.

The metaverse is still based on classical mechanics. It can transcend physical laws, allowing for the manipulation of spaces, exceeding the speed of light, and the creation of non-existent worlds. It allows for the creation of entire universes.

Japan's strengths in this realm include:

1. Rich IP, and a deep history and culture.

2. Unique perspectives on physical forms and characters, such as the "cute" aesthetic and a profound understanding of anime.

3. A vast number of creators, supported by national characteristics and educational foundations.

Read More