Total Prize Money of 500,000 JPY: Nihon CIM Launches First-Ever Student Pitch Contest 'Junkan MIRAI Student Pitch 2026' on September 19 in Tokyo

Nihon CIM Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture; President and CEO: Tatsuya Kiguchi), a manufacturer of waste plastic recycling equipment, will host its inaugural student business pitch contest titled 'Junkan MIRAI Student Pitch 2026' on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at TODA HALL & CONFERENCE in Tokyo. The event offers a total prize pool of 500,000 JPY (including 300,000 JPY for the Grand Prize), and is currently accepting entries.

Event Overview

Item: Details Date and Time: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 14:00–17:00 (Networking session until 18:30) Venue: TODA HALL & CONFERENCE (Kyobashi, Chuo Ward, Tokyo) Eligibility: High school, university, graduate school, junior college, vocational school, and technical college students (age is not restricted as long as enrolled) Entry Deadline: Monday, August 17, 2026 Participation Fee: Free (Travel expenses covered for participants from outside the Kanto region, up to 30,000 JPY)

Why Is a Recycling Equipment Manufacturer Hosting a Pitch Contest?

Climate change, resource depletion, and plastic pollution—environmental crises are no longer future issues but urgent present-day challenges.

After 49 years of developing and manufacturing recycling equipment, Nihon CIM has reached a firm conviction:

"The true solution lies in the creativity and action of young people."

This contest was created to empower youth with the realization that they, too, can drive social change. We believe that five minutes on stage sharing an idea can spark actions that transform the future of our planet.

Prizes and Judging Criteria

Total Prize Money: 500,000 JPY Grand Prize: 300,000 JPY Nihon CIM Award (2 winners): 50,000 JPY each Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun Award: 50,000 JPY Audience Award: 50,000 JPY

Judging Focus: A perfect business plan is not required.

Judges will prioritize passion, originality, perspective, presentation skills, and economic feasibility.

Judges (partial list): Tatsuya Kiguchi (President and CEO, Nihon CIM Co., Ltd.) Takashi Matsuki (Editorial Committee Member, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun; Leading expert in environmental and CSR fields) Megumi Sasaki (Environmental Counselor, Ministry of the Environment; SDGs Advisor)

Special Keynote Speech

A special keynote titled "Leaders Shaping the Future of the Environmental Industry" will be delivered by pioneers at the forefront of environmental business, sharing insights on the current state and future outlook of the industry.

Further details will be announced on the official website.

Schedule

June 10 (Wed): Entry registration opens August 17 (Mon): Entry deadline August 21 (Fri): Finalists announced September 7 (Mon): Slide submission deadline September 19 (Sat): Main event

About Nihon CIM Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1979, Nihon CIM is headquartered in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, and specializes in manufacturing recycling equipment for waste plastics. The company independently develops, manufactures, and sells equipment covering the entire recycling process—from shredding, washing, sorting, drying, to pelletizing. In 2024, it established an SDGs Division and launched upcycling experience events using PET bottle caps (with approximately 2,000 participants to date). The CEO, Tatsuya Kiguchi, authored the book "Where Does the PET Bottle I Used Go?" (published April 2026), which has gained public attention. https://www.nihon-cim.co.jp/

[Inquiries] Junkan MIRAI Student Pitch Organizing Committee (c/o Nihon CIM Co., Ltd.) TEL: 048-298-7700 Email: [email protected]