iU vs. Minerva Schools

 ■iU vs. Minerva Schools

Hideki Yamamoto is the author of “Minerva Schools at KGI: The Most Desired Destination for the Global Elite.”

This is the oft-discussed punk university that students enroll in instead of universities like Harvard and Stanford.

I am observing it as a benchmark for iU, which aims to open in 2020.

Although it shares a lot of similarities with iU, there are also points where the two differ.

Let’s look at the similarities first

1. All classes are conducted online at Minerva. Lectures are prohibited, as the model involves flipped classrooms and completely active learning. There are few students in each class.

I also want to do this for iU. Knowledge can be attained through the smartphone. Real classes involve debate and creation. It will be completely different from conventional universities.

2. Students attain skills sought by companies and society.

iU will be the same way. The needs of the market will be reflected in what the university teaches in order to avoid any discrepancies with what companies seek.

3. There is no tenure (lifelong employment).

iU will do the same. Tenure removes competitiveness and incentives for growth for faculty.

Instead, I will emphasize a design that encourages proactively entering a competitive environment.

4. There is cooperation with companies and an emphasis on internships.

iU will take this a step further and become a university “that is created with companies” and requires internships. Its concept itself is being designed with tens of companies, and cooperation with companies serves as the axis for education.

Initially, the ideas of Ben Nelson, the founder of Minerva Schools, were rejected by investors. Following that, his ideas began to materialize through approval from Peter Thiel, Larry Summers, and other major players. iU has been supported by numerous companies since its inception, and I believe that it matches the needs of companies.

5. The tuition is inexpensive.

Tuition for iU will be at a similar level (roughly 1.5 million yen each year) as Minerva Schools. It is a fraction of the tuition for Ivy League schools in the United States. Moreover, iU will adopt a framework that allows students to earn their school expenses and strive to enable an actual burden of 0 or even opportunities to earn income that is higher than the school expenses

Next, I would like to list the differences between Minerva Schools and iU

1. Minerva professes to be a “top elite university.” Faculty members also come from top-level academic institutions

Instead of having iU aim for this, I would like to produce professionals and innovators who thrive in the industrial world. Therefore, a majority of faculty members will be professionals from the industrial world.

2. By also setting up the “Minerva Institute,” there is also an effort put into research. They carry out education and research.

Although iU will carry out many experimental studies connecting industry and academia, it is not a research institute. Instead, I will also set up “i Co., Ltd.,” which supports entrepreneurship by students, as all faculty members and students develop businesses.

3. Minerva does not have a campus.

This is good. Based on regulations in Japan, iU will have campuses. Therefore, I will utilize the campuses to their fullest extent. The main campus will be in Sumida, while there will also be a campus for entrepreneurship in Takeshiba, Minato. This will be an educational district where various experiments and demonstrations will take place. I will build a rich space for connecting industry and academia

The idea that Minerva allows students to learn in 7 cities across the world is appealing. There are facilities in Seoul and Taipei in Asia. All students reside in residence halls. I would like to take on the challenge of accomplishing this goal for iU also. I would like to prepare a Global Campus Passport that allows students to come and go by cooperating with foreign universities

Meanwhile, iU will offer all students the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. I will prepare an environment in which students will take on challenges without the fear of failure, including social entrepreneurship. This does not exist in Minerva, and I would like to produce results that make sense.

I would also like to try out numerous systems that do not exist anywhere else in the world.

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“The Internet and Freedom for Us” Revisited

 ■“The Internet and Freedom for Us” Revisited

I wrote a book called “The Internet and Freedom for Us” around 1996.

At the time, the old order was firmly in place. A triangular hierarchy existed in each of the fields of government, major corporations, mass media, and universities.

Japan still had the strength to be considered one of the 3 powers, along with the United States and Europe. National borders were also unyielding.

I tried to capture the internet, which appeared as something that could upend this situation, in its proper scale.

It appeared as a dazzling light.

Individuals gain power. Expressions and comments can be made freely, forming mobile TV stations for a hundred million people. Businesses would also flourish. The order of everything would be turned on its head. It is punk.

I want “myself” to be free.

However, it is too destructive. It failed to measure the distance between countries. For this reason, there were strong opinions seeking for control of the internet, although there were opinions in support of the internet. With that said, it is futile to oppose the inevitability of technology.

I want the “internet” to be free

I wrote about these 2 points

20 years later, there are both things I was able to anticipate and things I could not anticipate.

Matters (generally) progressed as I imagined.

In ’99, i-mode and broadband appeared, giving individuals and organizations more power through mobile devices and videos. The iPhone was introduced in 2008 and social networking services became popular, giving more power.

Negroponte from MIT advocated from the “union of bits and atoms,” and advancement to atoms (real space) and bits (virtual space) had been completed.

Business became digital-driven.

3/4 of music sales in the United States have become streaming, and IT companies (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Alibaba, and Google) make up the top 5 for aggregate market value. Banks have transitioned to financial technology, and the digital world is the key battlefield for military affairs.

Individuals have been given power, mass media has become relative, and hierarchies have collapsed.

The Mubarak regime was toppled by the united masses, Mr. Trump is opposing the mass media on Twitter, China controls its internet, and the IS recruits young foreigners on the internet.

GAFA has obtained global power that surpasses that of an ordinary nation.

The status of modern nations and companies has become relative.

The firewall in China is not a special case, as freedom on the internet is starting to become regulated.

The EU seeks to tax GAFA and has brought in GDPR (protection of personal information) and the link tax (copyrights).

Regarding piracy, Japan is troubled by how to secure freedom regarding both the protection of intellectual property and secrecy of communication.

I had generally envisioned matters to this point.

Although things were hazy, well-informed people at the time felt that the internet was a wave with this much ability to destroy.

There were 2 points that I could not envision.

First is that the evolution of technology would accelerate

When I participated in the MIT Media Lab in ’98, it felt as if AI and IoT were on the verge of being introduced, but the steps of popularizing the internet and smartization were needed before dissemination, requiring 20 years.

However, the transition from the internet to AI/IoT was rapid once true dissemination became viable

There is time until the singularity, which will divide the history of humankind into before and after the singularity, but it is surprising that big data would become a theme with utmost importance and data-driven society would be achieved with such speed.

As the land and natural resources are the driving force for agricultural and industrial society, it was believed that this would transition to “knowledge” for information society.

This would transition to “data” for the fourth industrial revolution and Society 5.0. There would be a struggle for these resources

Blockchain is a product of IT, but it will inevitably absorb its producer.

As ultra-dispersion advances, there is a possibility that all service organizations that stand between people, including shops, banks, schools, and nations, may lose their power. I feel a similar force of destruction as I did regarding the internet around ‘98.

I had not imagined the introduction of technology like this

The other is the significance of the impact that the internet has had on capitalism

The internet revitalizes industry and enhances capitalism.

I had the optimistic view that the two ideologies, together with democracy, that have been nurtured in the modern age could be matured.

However, there is a possibility that the internet will dispel “capitalism.”

This is not because the internet will widen disparities and rebel against the uniform pressure of democracy

The internet reduces the cost of goods and services, offers many services for free, improves convenience for people, and enriches life. The sharing economy enriches lifestyles even more. Economic activity that cannot be counted monetarily as production or supply is increasing.

There is a chance that GDP will decline rather than simply stagnate. However, utility for users increases satisfaction.

The economy cannot be portrayed using GDP, which is calculated using producer surplus, and consumer surplus has become an important index. There can be happiness without economic growth.

Capitalism is facing a need for revision.

It is still not clear where it is headed, but I believe that it is unlikely for capitalism to die, as I envision the birth of a new type of capitalism, in which digital information is the source for value creation.

I will return to the topic at hand.

Has the internet made us free?

“I” have become quite free. However, others have absorbed my data, I am being monitored by IoT, and as I gain more freedom for transmission, I become managed more. Will it reach a happy equilibrium at some point?

While the “internet” advances continuously and increases in flexibility, as AI and blockchain have also come on board, it is no longer a free paradise, as nations and regions have strengthened their control over it.

As capitalism and democracy loosen, and the pressure for nationalism intensifies, the internet cannot be uninvolved.

The internet is still in its dawn, as it has only been disseminated for roughly 20 years.

We cannot say that it has matured.

Moreover, humankind, the users of the internet, has just entered digital society and has yet to establish its manners.

Perhaps a conclusion may just come insight once the generation has completely shifted after another 20 or so years.

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“The Internet and Freedom” Q&A

 ■“The Internet and Freedom” Q&A

I did an interview about “The Internet and Freedom for Us,” the book that I wrote 24 years ago. I would like to list my responses.

○During the dawn of the internet, what kind of issues occurred and what kind of regulations were in place?

Around the time that I wrote this book, which was the mid ’90s when the internet was starting to become popularized, I became the first person in charge of the internet in the Japanese government and made it clear that my role was to promote the internet, while focusing on the fact that it will empower individuals.

However, as the awareness that the internet will make life convenient and enrich people had not been solidified yet, the government did not have a clear stance yet, given that there was a possibility that the communication industry, with a focus on telephones, could receive a major blow

Because the government was concerned with how to prepare the foundation for these communication networks (such as optical fiber) without any disparities and how to deal with the hegemony of the United States regarding the internet, there was not much discussion about theories for regulating the internet, information, and content

○What are symbolic events relating to “The Internet and Freedom?

・Expression: Everybody nurtured Hatsune Miku online, as she grew into a global star. Being a YouTuber became an admired occupation.

・Politics: In 2011, the Mubarak regime was toppled by the united masses, and Mr. Trump is opposing the mass media on Twitter.

・Nations: GAFA has obtained global power that surpasses that of an ordinary nation. On the other hand, China has set up a firewall, and the EU has brought in GDPR and the link tax.

・Regarding piracy, Japan is troubled by how to secure freedom regarding both the protection of intellectual property and secrecy of communication.

○Regulation of piracy, crackdowns on the dark web, and monopolies by GAFA and other major corporations are taking place. How do you feel about these regulations and monopolies?

Piracy, illegal information, and unfair competition by major companies are issues from real society that are also appearing in the virtual space on the internet.

Rather, I believe that issues that were somewhat under control in real society have become radicalized and more difficult to resolve through the popularization of the internet. Either way, the period during which the internet was a special, free paradise has come to an end as a result of popularization.

○What are some incidents that symbolize the current issues of freedom and regulations on the internet?

I believe this would be pirated sites above all.

While piracy infringes upon “property rights” related to intellectual property and copyrights, the ides of blocking, which is being discussed by the Japanese government through a countermeasure council, infringes upon “secrecy of communication.” They oppose each other on both sides of the freedom guaranteed by the Law of Japan.

Intellectual property and IT, which are 2 fields that Japan depends on as we face information society, must be contrasted for adjustments to be made. The question is how Japan, which is the home of manga and anime, will build out a model to resolve pirated sites, which are the unexpected product of IT.

However, it could be that this situation cannot be solved properly through a plan to “adjust” both sides. Perhaps the approach is to “build up” an area where intellectual property and IT can coexist, each developing their freedom.

This is a troublesome issue that appeared 20 years into the history of the internet, and issues like this will continue to pop up. I believe that a stance to bring together the wisdom to confront these issues is being sought.

○In what direction will the freedom and restriction of the internet advance from here on out

Following the 10 years of its first phase with computers, mobile phones, and content and the 10 years of its second phase with smartphones and social networking services, the internet is entering its third phase with AI, IoT, and blockchain. There have been big waves every 10 years, and issues have grown.

Not only have we reached our goals, big waves will likely continue to come repeatedly. Nations, companies, and individuals are all internet users, and efforts by users to build information society have just begun.

It took 3 centuries from the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg for people to become enlightened; go through religious, civic, and industrial revolutions; and enter the modern age. The IT revolution may also require this much time to change the world. I believe that we must be ready to take the time for users to build up society.

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What Is “Digital Capitalism?” - Part 2

 ■What Is “Digital Capitalism?” - Part 2

The first point was

1. The significance of consumer surplus and total surplus

Now I would like to touch on

2. Capitalism will be modified to become a data-driven, knowledge-producing society

2. The Modification of Capitalism

This book explains that the sharing economy can advance the conversion of goods into services, reduce producer surplus, and shrink the economy and that it tends to inhibit employment and investment.

I agree with this sentiment. It would be dangerous to capture the sharing economy within the context of growth strategies, and I believe that it should be promoted from the perspective of enhancing welfare and consumer surplus.

All activities in the economies represented by the sharing economy are online- and data-driven.

This means that society based on “labor productivity,” in which the input for added value is labor, will turn into a society based on “knowledge productivity,” in which the input for added value is data.

This book envisions this form of “digital capitalism.”

Currently, there are 8 billion IoT devices working together, but this number will increase by 50 billion by 2020, and the amount of information being produced in 1 year will be produced in 1 hour.

Naturally, this will change the state of socioeconomics fundamentally.

The socioeconomics with AI tied in will most likely be drastically modified also.

This book imagines that this technology-driven future will have various forms depending on the country and region.

This is a view in which the economy, society, and history are local.

I have no doubt that Japan will consume technology and construct society in its own way. It has been this way in the past.

What concerns me is the explanation that the reasons behind the current long-term stagnation across the globe can be traced to the lack of innovation.

The reasoning is that innovation in the 21st century is relatively small compared to inventions in the 20th century, such as electricity, airplanes, automobiles, and household electronics, and there is less low-hanging fruit compared to the past when there was uncolonized land and uneducated children.

I believe that opinion will be divided depending on how substantial the impact of IT and AI is assessed to be.

I believe that innovation in the 21st century has just gotten started, and its effects will begin to be seen as it is consumed. Moving forward, humankind will change its make-up and reach digital capitalism as covered in this book

This book presents 3 future outcomes, which are 1. capitalism will end, 2. industrial capitalism will reach a higher level (industry 4.0), and 3. a new type of capitalism, in which digital information is the source of value creation, will be born, and supports hypothesis 3.

I feel the same way, or rather that it would be interesting for that to happen. I am not certain of this.

However, I thought that the analysis that the “forced marriage” between capitalism, for which disparity is an essential quality, and democracy, which is based on equality, will be dissolved is rough. The fact that globalization, which is the frame for capitalism in the United States and the United Kingdom, has been denied by democracy points to the fact that we have entered a situation that requires a new agreement between capitalism and politics.

This book suggests that digital factors can serve as the mediator that finds balance between capitalism and democracy.

Digital technologies that modify capitalism will also modify the relationship between politics and the public, starting with socialization. It would be beneficial for this to lead to harmony between all parties.

However, this cannot be seen tangibly at the moment and is nothing more than a desire.

While analyzing the economy, this book indicates that humankind has yet to fully grasp the effect of the advancement and maturation of digitalization, which has a historically significant impact.

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What Is “Digital Capitalism?” - Part 1

 ■What Is “Digital Capitalism?” - Part 1

I read a book called “Digital Capitalism” put forth by Nomura Research Institute (NRI).

The directionality is off for policies because conventional economic indices have become outdated due to changes in long-term structures caused by digitalization.

This book takes what has been in my mind without being able to be expressed successfully for over 10 years and profoundly describes it in a straightforward manner based on theories and data.

The book explains the following 2 points.

1. The significance of consumer surplus and total surplus

2. Capitalism will be modified to become a data-driven, knowledge-producing society

1. Consumer Surplus

This book presents findings that consumers have been feeling that their living standards have improved from around 2010. While convenience on the internet has improved, prices of objects, distribution margins, and costs of goods and services have decreased. This is a subjective observation that the quality of life has improved despite the fact that GDP has stagnated, and wages are trending down.

Consumer surplus is increasing, and producer surplus is declining.

Consumer surplus is the feeling of consumers that they are getting a good deal, and producer surplus is the comparison of price and cost.

This book explains that “total surplus” GDS, which is the sum of these values, is true added value and should become a new index.

Search costs and costs to reproduce content become 0. Free digital services only produce consumer surplus. This oppresses producer surplus.

Then, producer surplus is calculated as an objective value and is reflected in GDP, while consumer surplus is subjective and not reflected in GDP. Thus, GDP has reached its limit as an index.

This book estimates that Spotify has a consumer surplus of 2 trillion yen and a producer surplus of 60 billion yen, yielding a consumer/producer ratio of 33 times. This is an incredible figure, because the ratio is less than 1 for conventional companies. Professor Brynjolfsson at MIT Sloan estimates consumer surplus in the United States as 78 trillion yen, and NRI applies this to Japan to yield 42 trillion yen.

Regarding this topic, Professor Brynjolfsson discusses the “limits of GDP” in his book, “The Second Machine Age.”

He raises the following 4 points.

1) Online music sales fell by 40% in 4 years and have disappeared from economic statistics, but quality has increased, and people now listen to a lot of high-quality music. How can the consumer surplus produced by goods and services be measured?

2) Produced value is 0 if the price is 0, but that does not equate to a lack of value. The contentment in life resulting in being able to make searches and transactions on the internet for free, as well as the benefit of a shared economy, are not reflected in GDP. The information industry only comprises 4% of GDP. This has not changed from the late ’80s. “The value produced by IT is not reflected.”

3) How should the resource of time be measured? The amount of time people in the United States spend on the internet doubled in 10 years. The value of time is applied toward the internet. In 2012, the time spent on Facebook was 10 times the man-hours needed to build the Panama Canal. This is not counted toward total GDP.

4) Future production depends on the 4 intangible capital goods of intellectual property, organizational capital, UGC, and human capital. However, these are ignored in total GDP. Therefore, new indices are being considered, such as the Human Development Index by the United Nations Development Programme and the OECD project.

10 years ago, I made objections to the fact that the Japanese government set the purpose of content policy as the “expansion of industry scale.” I believed the purpose should be the expansion of the production and consumption of content. Subsequently, the scale of the content industry in Japan has shrunk, while the amount of content shared by everybody has increased by a factor of dozens. However, this index has not been utilized.

On this subject, the white paper on telecommunications by the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts, and Telecommunications has attempted to analyze the consumer surplus in ICT.

The white paper stated that “although the value of ICT is granted to both companies and consumers, this value is ultimately calculated using existing statistics, such as increased GDP, for companies, while there is a (non-monetary) value for customers that is not captured in existing statistics” and analyzed the topics of ①consumer surplus, ②the economy of time, and ③information assets (reviews, etc.). 

①The total annual consumer surplus, using services providing music and video as an example, can be estimated at roughly 109.7 billion yen.

②In terms of the economy of time, online shopping saves roughly 40 minutes to 1 hour each time.

③Over 80% of users have experience making decisions for online purchases based on reviews.

Although I feel that consumer surplus is even greater, I acknowledge that this attempt was made. I believe that deepening this research and improving precision would be a global contribution. I strongly recommended this attempt as a member of the editorial board for the white paper.

The opinion that consumer surplus and total surplus should be emphasized instead of GDP and economic growth is only presented in very rare instances, and I believe that epochal for it to be presented openly by an influential sector as it was in this book.

Therefore, I look forward to thorough research to be advanced internationally.

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15 Years for the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters

 ■15 Years for the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters

I would like to share notes from the talk I gave as part of a project by “Jurist” magazine.

○Recent Developments for the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters

・The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry; the Agency for Cultural Affairs; and the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts, and Telecommunications had been central for the content and Cool Japan policies, and there had been a rather passive stance being shown, but nearly 10 ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, are now part of the discussions, and each takes action proactively and progressively.

・The fields of content and industry had been separated, but there is a discussion to consolidate the fields, as the handling of data is the key battlefield during the Fourth Industrial Revolution involving AI.

・Measures to combat piracy and computerize education are representative actions, but the connection between intellectual property policy and IT policy is gaining importance.

○Results and Evaluation of Intellectual Property Strategies

・In the past few years, systematic adaptation has also been advanced in the field of content, such as through the revision of the Copyright Act and systematic implementation of digital textbooks.

・Support measures, such as the Cool Japan system, have been enhanced, and policy tools have been prepared. Results of overseas expansion of content are being demonstrated through statistics.

・Especially in the field of content, the main task was to adapt to significant changes to the environment as a result of “digitalization” through computers and the internet since roughly 20 years ago, “smartization” through smartphones and social media since 10 years ago, and recent “super-smartization” through AI and IoT.

・The last few decades involved catching up with the United States, which was the front-runner, but the environment has become more difficult, with China also emerging as a leader.

○Intellectual Property Strategies for Companies

・Intellectual property strategies serve as the core of management strategy for companies, such as those in the content industry, for whom intellectual property is the foundation of their corporate resources. However, it is doubtful whether intellectual property strategies are put first at general companies.

・It is thought that the perception depends on how much management values intellectual property strategies compared to other elements such as manufacturing, sales, finance, and human resources.

・This also applies to politics and the government. It cannot be said that intellectual property is treated with as much significance as agriculture and manufacturing, such as during TPP negotiations. Perhaps the priorities and awareness of how Japan will continue to eat in the future have not been shared with the entire country.

○Recent Changes to the Intellectual Property Environment

・Interest in intellectual property has risen, and recognition of its importance has been solidified. People are also aware that Japan has been stagnant due to the handling of patents and copyrights. Therefore, the importance of all professionals acquiring skills related to intellectual property, rather than producing specialists, is gaining importance.

・Discussions focused on the domestic market have shifted their focus to overseas development. Considering economic stagnation in the recent past and the decreasing birth rate and aging population moving forward, intellectual property strategies aimed at the foreign market has become a central issue. The field of content has gone through another cycle, and inbound strategies linked to tourism and food have become the main focus.

○Content Strategies

・The Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters has promoted the systematic implementation of digital textbooks and the computerization of education as content policies. It is a positive development that the systematic implementation of digital textbooks and the establishment of related copyright laws were realized by the previous Diet.

・This points to the fact that content is being viewed from a wider perspective that includes cultural and social policy including education, in addition to industrial policy. In addition, this project is carried out in conjunction with the establishment of IT infrastructure at schools and requires coordination between intellectual property policy and IT policy.

・Countermeasures against pirated sites have been a recent point of focus, and the appropriateness of a method called blocking is attracting attention from society. In this instance, the intellectual property policy related to copyrights is clashing with the IT policy related to the secrecy of communication, and intellectual property policy cannot produce a solution on its own. Instances that require cooperation and adjustment with IT policy and other policy fields are increasing.

○Tasks for the Intellectual Property Strategy Headquarters

・3 tasks can be envisioned.

・As illustrated by countermeasures against piracy, the linkage and merger of intellectual property policy and IT policy are important. This also suggests the need to reorganize ministries and agencies.

・In 2020, 50 years would have passed since the establishment of the Copyright Act. It has somehow gotten by to this point, but it is too difficult to handle, considering that it is a system that even elementary school students should know. This may be an opportunity to re-examine it fundamentally.

・Through the above, it is important to increase the priority of intellectual property policy. By all means, I would like to move forward with the intellectual property based nation that Mr. Arai advocated for.

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Will Esports Become Serious?

 ■Will Esports Become Serious?

Esports were a demonstration sport at the Asian Games in Jakarta.

Because Japan won the Gold Medal for “Pro Evolution Soccer,” the Japanese flag was raised at the center while the Japanese national anthem was played.

It will become an official sport at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

I took the podium at the “Gekito Esports!” symposium.

First, I would like to share some notes on what I spoke about.

Previously, I had stated that Japan is a developing country in terms of esports and that it faces 2 major issues.

1. Regulation. The Act Against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Information by the Consumer Affairs Agency restricts the prize money for tournaments to a maximum of 100,000 yen. This restriction must be removed.

2. Professionalization. The 3 related organizations must be unified to blaze a trail for international advancement.

In February 2018, these 3 organizations disbanded and unified to form the JeSU, the Japanese Esports Union.

The issue with the regulation was arranged to be cleared up with the Consumer Affairs Agency, making it possible for major tournaments to also be held in Japan. This resulted in an environment in which the industrial world can invest capital and human resources with assurance.

In this instance, I stated that I would like to make 2018 the first year for esports in Japan, and this materialized.

Many companies started to host major tournaments, and the Soccer J.League and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) also started their own leagues. Many different industries have gotten involved, exemplified by the serious involvement of Yoshimoto Kogyo.

However, there is a big gap with the advanced nations like the United States.

Looking at efforts at universities alone, over 80 universities in the United States and Canada have esports programs according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports.

The University of Utah offers full scholarships to their LoL team.

The University of California Irvine has set up a 325 m2 gaming arena.

The efforts in South Korea are amazing.

CJ Corporation has set up the largest esports stadium in Seoul Digital Media City (DMC), which the South Korean government and the city of Seoul built together with the industry.

There are games in the 650-seat venue every day, and these games are broadcast on cable TV and through the internet.

This work is handled by the local government operated by the city of Seoul.

The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), the South Korean government agency for cultural content, created a 1,552 m2 esports pavilion in this building.

It has archives and hands-on experience areas.

Japan has recently listed popularizing esports as an item in the Japanese government’s “Intellectual Property Promotion Plan 2018,” which I was involved in under the guidance of Secretary-General Sumita, but in South Korea, the government is directly involved in the business.

Future tasks are preparing the environment and nurturing human resources.

First is to prepare the environment that will serve as the foundation of the industry.

There is a need to build opportunities by working with the Japan Sports Agency to gain recognition from the JOC to help esports participate in the Olympics as an official sport.

Next is nurturing human resources. People pin their hopes on Keio University, but it would be faster to establish a school.

Therefore, we will start a new university. We will open a university called “iU” specializing in IT business in Tokyo and set up a satellite campus in Takeshiba CiP, and I will serve as the president.

Since iU will be an IT university, I would like it to focus its efforts on esports from the beginning.

I would like to set up a quota for esports admissions, offer scholarships, and nurture professionals and Olympians.

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Launch of the World Otaku Institute!

 ■Launch of the World Otaku Institute!

“The Current State of Research on Otaku Culture and the Necessity for an International Research Institute” was the kickoff event for the World Otaku Institute.

The idea is to create a headquarters for otaku researchers around the world.

It will be established as a hub in the Pop & Tech Special Zone CiP.

It aims to be a city that can only exist in Japan by combining Silicon Valley and Hollywood while being a poppy, fun place where creators, users, gamers, otaku, YouTubers, and cosplayers all gather.

It started off as an idea put forth by Takamasa Sakurai. Mr. Sakurai, who carried out a role equivalent to that of tens of diplomats through his activity to spread pop culture, passed away in an accident on December 4, 2015. The day before that, we agreed on a plan to strengthen global cooperation by nurturing the international otaku community and shook hands. This project carries on this idea.

It will work together with the International Otaku Expo Association (IOEA), which Mr. Sakurai served as the Executive Director for. Through the collaboration between IOEA, which 43 countries and regions and 114 events are members of, and CiP, connections to overseas universities and researchers will be expanded. This will serve as a hub for researchers around the world. Global otaku research should be invigorated.

I explained, “We decided to build a network of leading experts in otaku research and establish a research institute in Takeshiba’s new facility that will be completed in 2020. As I would like it to grow as a research institute that various researchers and fans from the 5 continents enjoy, I ask that all of you please expand this network by all means.”

“I have been involved in the Japanese government’s strategic discussions, and although the importance of this field has started to become recognized over the last 10 years, it has yet to be firmly established and is in a precarious position from which it can be regulated immediately because it is a popular culture that has risen from the bottom. Since each country has its own stance, I would like to aim for the coexistence of various cultures by deepening international comparison and cooperation.”

“Regarding this point, it would be wonderful to build an academic axis in the genre of otaku research and establish an “exit” from an industrial policy perspective. At the same time, pop culture has a close relationship with technology. Digital and smart technologies have greatly impacted culture, which in turn affects technology.”

“At the moment, a great wave of technology is approaching. How will the series of technology including AI, IoT, and blockchain interact with pop culture? 2020 Tokyo will serve as the showcase for this, but how will otaku research be involved with this? 2020 is a pivotal time for cultural research. It is worth keeping an eye on.”

“The World Otaku Institute would like to become a sandbox for researchers around the world, who would be able to play freely, make mountains, and dig in. At the same time, we would like to be creative in attracting research funds and money for business.” Having stated this, I declared without getting approval from anybody, “We will allow researchers to use Takeshiba’s CiP site for free.”

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I hope to trace out a national strategy for AI in education

 ■ I hope to trace out a national strategy for AI in education

The Learning for Tomorrow association held an open working group on AI in Education. The meeting began with general agreement that the world does not yet have anyone who has a birds-eye grasp of AI in education. There was discussion of examples, such as the development of a joint curriculum by Recruit Holdings, Tokyo University, and Tokyo Gakugei University as well as the use of IBM’s Watson Chatbot in classes.

One thing that surprised me was discussion of the fact that China’s State Council has decided that the use of AI in education is a national strategic priority. The Japanese Government’s intellectual property plan promotes the use of AI and harnessing information in education, but this is entirely different from China. Debate on AI in education in Japan is paltry. There is a huge gap in awareness between Japan and China, the latter of which sees this as a national strategic priority.

One opinion raised was that AI will not only change schools, but it will change learning itself, including in the home and the community. This is what the Learning for Tomorrow association is aiming for. I hope to sketch out this vision for the near future. However, some feel that we will be unable to use the information that is required for the foundations of the educational system. While demonstration of blockchain technology is progressing, collecting information remains difficult. This is the first problem to tackle.

Other opinions were

● It is easy to imagine how VR/AR can be used, but there are questions about the need for robots in the classroom.

● It is OK as an interface.

● Japan, which is at the apex of world robotics, should lead the way as a model case. 

● AIBO is a robot, or a buddy, that doesn’t speak. There are robots that stay by one’s side.

● The use of AI and robots in education is already progressing.

● There is no proof that robots should be anthropomorphic. We should collaborate with academia to come to a conclusion on this  point.

There was also debate on the meaning of introducing AI. Comments aired include:

● AI strives for uniform answers, but ensuring human diversity is important. AI should support society and help children become who they wish to become.

● We need to progress beyond efficiency.

● AI is more suited to music, art, domestic science, physical education and after-school club activities than to Japanese language, mathematics, social science and science. 

Japan, which is behind in harnessing information in education, has finally started work on this area now that the Diet has passed a system for digital textbooks. However, the world is far ahead of us. My desire is to improve debate and have these matters seen as part of a national strategy. I hope to sketch out an image of the future that can be put to the public, conduct concrete demonstration tests using data and put things into practice.

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Blockchain and Education should start cross-pollinating

■ Blockchain and Education should start cross-pollinating

The Learning of Tomorrow association held a talk event entitled “Blockchain and Education.” This association, which promotes the use of technology in education, has established working groups in AI, programming and blockchain.

At the opening of this talk event, the Learning of Tomorrow association announced that it is working on:

1. Research into blockchain technology applications in education

2. Fostering human resources in blockchain technology

3. Increasing the technical functionality of blockchain technology

I made a presentation about two examples of encrypted currencies and P2P being used to provide musicians with a source of income, and highlighted that this could be used in the education sector. The first example is the use of blockchain technology to sell music tracks on NEO. The other is Berlin-based imusify, which is a music crowdfunding service.

My suggestions regarding imusify are:

1) Managing grades: secure access to graduation certificates and prevention of misrepresentation of academic records

2) Sales of notes between students

3) Crowdfunding: fundraising for school activities 

4) Smart employment contracts in education: reducing personnel costs in administration 

1) One often hears of the use of blockchain technology to manage grades and issue certificates, but my interest was piqued by the sale of notes and crowdfunding for schools. There may be a large demand not just for notes, but for distributing, sharing and managing materials made by teachers. The need for donations to schools may also be significant.

O3 (from the Netherlands) offers wallets that handle 50 currencies, and Switchio (from Singapore) has opened a P2P exchange that does not have an encrypted currency management body. I stressed that these structures could be used between a range of schools. 

These are all interesting in that each of these applications crosses the bounds of schools and breaks down barriers. Crossing the bounds of schools and breaking barriers are just the things that the Learning for Tomorrow association is aiming for. How exciting! However, these will give rise to a distributed structure that disbands the school institution and may even change management and educational structures themselves. Once they begin to spread, there is sure to be pushback. Just as there was criticism saying that digital technologies will make teachers obsolete.

I hope to keep investigating technologies, demonstrating them and putting them to use while ensuring that educators see benefits. The Japan Electronics School, which I set up, can act as a test bed. I hope it proves useful to the Learning for Tomorrow association.

 

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