Holding "SakiTan 2026": Discussing "What is Human Education?" in the AI Era and Sharing Practices to Connect Educational Outcomes with Social Value.

Organizers: 3in Inc. / Grant: Mitsubishi Mirai Ikusei Foundation / Co-organizers: Yamaguchi University Faculty of Education / Supporters: Yamaguchi Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefectural Board of Education

3in Inc. will launch the 2026 program for "SakiTan" starting July 25. Through four programs held annually, we will connect educational settings, including schools, with real society and discuss "practices that link educational outcomes to social value" by making the entire region a field for students' inquiry-based learning. While primarily targeting high school teachers, the program will also include teachers from elementary and junior high schools, university faculty, and students aspiring to work in education. Furthermore, participants from general companies and those involved in education and administration will attend, with movements seen to connect problem-solving education with diverse businesses. By gathering regional stakeholders centered on education, we will provide a space for community formation that transcends the framework of education.

(Click here for the Mitsubishi Mirai Ikusei Foundation website)

Many participants, mainly high school teachers, from the Yamaguchi and Kyushu areas joined the 2024 program.

Creating a space for reskilling for educators regarding project proposals and presentations.

High school students challenging business ventures presented in the 2025 program. High school students from Yamaguchi Prefecture held a dialogue with students from Dalton Tokyo Gakuen.

◾️ Background of the Event

"Responding to Change" Required in the Education Sector

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread adoption of generative AI, the impact of an "era of unpredictability with no single correct answer" is becoming apparent everywhere. In the education sector, significant changes have occurred intensively over the past few years, including an increase in students with school refusal, the expansion of correspondence high schools, and diversification of university entrance exams. The mandatory implementation of "inquiry-based learning" is one of these changes. In high schools, "Comprehensive Inquiry Time" has been established as a regular class, with some schools making it a distinctive feature. While it offers the pleasure of students demonstrating unique talents that cannot be measured by paper tests through problem-solving learning based on their own themes and connecting with society during their school years, it is also true that educators are often perplexed about how to approach it, as there is no specific teaching license for it.

The Significance of Creating a Successful Model "in Rural Areas"

When looking at educational challenges across Japan, we believe that creating successful examples in rural areas is a key to solving them. Many regional cities are experiencing an outflow of young people, and municipalities are struggling to devise future town development strategies. From the perspective that "town development" is also "human development," the importance of education collaborating with local communities has never been higher. The role of school education is particularly crucial in rural areas. For high school students, just before they move to major cities, fostering a genuine understanding of their local area's charm and enhancing their civic pride is important for both them and the town. To support rural teachers, who bear many roles and responsibilities, to confidently focus on education linked with society, such as "inquiry-based learning" and "entrepreneurship education," is vital for Japan as a whole, which is why "SakiTan" was started.

The Keyword is "Passion"

Society is questioning what constitutes "abilities that cannot be replaced by generative AI." With aging peaking in 2040 and advancements in science and technology, including AI and robots, being pursued, it is now effective for individuals actively engaged on the front lines of diverse fields to gather and discuss and implement "human education." "Passion" is not a relic of the past but rather appears fresh precisely in the Reiwa era. Implementing educational practices that involve setting one's own themes and repeatedly challenging and experimenting towards them requires educators themselves to be driven by passion and set their own goals. It is under the hypothesis that generative AI can become a human's "partner" only when humans possess subjective will that we are planning and designing this year's program.

Connecting "Educational Outcomes" to "Social Value"

There is a question of who inquiry-based learning and entrepreneurship education are for. While value for the students themselves is, of course, important. Furthermore, in the future, it is considered important to connect interests and awareness of issues in "real society and real life" to the creation of "new value." This is partly due to cases where learning ends at the "research stage." Testing hypotheses in real society, involving collaborators, and achieving goals as a team are important for both "human development" and "town development." It is an era where, instead of schools alone bearing the outcomes of education, we are expected to share roles with the local community, build trust, and achieve an organic integration of "youth ideas and actions" with "local knowledge and experience" to bring value to real society.

* Examples of "Educational Outcomes" x "Social Value"

Town development events planned by high school students in collaboration with chambers of commerce. Regular high school students challenging innovation with the cooperation of businesses.

Teams planned businesses, successfully raised funds, and won international awards. Collaborated with local tourism businesses to create unique content across the prefecture.

◾️ Annual Schedule

1st Program

Date and Time

July 25, Reiwa 8 (2026) (Saturday) 12:00-14:00

* A tea gathering for networking will be held after the program.

Venue

Yamaguchi Prefectural Health Promotion Center, 2nd Floor, Main Training Room

(3-1-1 Yoshiki Shimohigashi, Yamaguchi City)

Content

The Significance of Inquiry-Based Learning and Entrepreneurship Education in the AI Era

What are the "Outcomes of Inquiry"? A Question to Pioneers in Industry and Education

Speakers

Tomoe Makino

Representative Director, General Incorporated Association Meta Tourism Promotion Organization. Former Representative for Japan of Tools for Humanity, founded by Sam Altman (current CEO of OpenAI), which handled projects aimed at human authentication in the AI era. He has also served as a business manager for Google and Twitter, implementing US-based IT services in Japan.

Emiko Ishida

Assistant Director, High School Promotion Division, Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. She leads initiatives to enhance the appeal and distinctiveness of high schools. She is involved in the nationwide rollout of the grand design for high school education reform, "N-E.X.T. (Next) High School Concept," and is engaged in designing systems for fostering "abilities that cannot be replaced by AI" in preparation for the revision of the curriculum guidelines.

2nd Program

Date and Time

August 20, Reiwa 8 (2026) (Thursday) 18:00-20:00

Method

Online (Zoom details will be provided to participants)

Content

What is Inquiry-Based Learning That Goes Beyond "Research"

Exploring the Potential of Implementing Learning Outcomes as Business Ideas

Speakers

Yoichi Ito

Dean, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Musashino University (Musashino EMC). A specialist in nurturing next-generation leaders with an entrepreneurial spirit. He is also the representative of the startup studio "Musashino Valley" and leads next-generation leader development as the representative of WayWay. His representative work includes "Speak in 1 Minute."

Choshun Agui

Principal, Dalton Tokyo Gakuen Junior High and High School. After graduating from university, he taught at Shiga Women's High School for 20 years, then founded two community FM stations and started an IT online support business. He returned to the school field in 2006 and has been engaged in new school reforms and school management centered on inquiry-based learning, with learners at the core.

3rd Program

Date and Time

September 26, Reiwa 8 (2026) (Saturday) 18:00-20:00

Method

Online (Zoom details will be provided to participants)

Content

The Significance of Connecting Aspirations and Passion in Inquiry-Based Learning to "Expression"

Exploring the Practical Possibilities of "Creative" Inquiry-Based Learning Needed in the Future

Speakers

Rikutaro Manabe

Head of the Education DX Promotion Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, and Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. Director of the General Incorporated Association Meta Tourism Promotion Organization. His specialties include town development and community archiving. He focuses on themes of expression from an interdisciplinary perspective, such as building locally rooted narratives and connecting systems with human society.

Daishu Teramoto

Representative Director and CEO, IDEABLE WORKS Inc., and Director of Art Entrepreneurship, Kyoto University of Art and Design. After working in new business development at NTT West, he established a student entrepreneurship support program at Kindai University. Currently, he develops a gallery platform that fuses real and digital, fostering a cycle of creativity and curiosity.

4th Program

Date and Time

November 7, Reiwa 8 (2026) (Saturday) 13:00-15:30

Venue

Yamaguchi University Kaikan (University Hall)

(1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi City)

Content

What is "Human Education" to Powerfully Practice Inquiry-Based Learning?

How to Evaluate Learning Outcomes and Connect Them to the Practice of Educational Essentials?

Speakers

Kazunori Tomano

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Education, Faculty of Education, Kumamoto University. Philosopher and education scholar. He is active in various fields with the theme of how diverse and uniquely talented individuals can mutually recognize each other. He has authored numerous books, including "Love," "Rebuilding 'School'," and "Textbook for Essential Observation." His Voicy program "Introduction to Philosophical Thinking" has over 3 million plays.

Shinichi Mizogami

Chairman of the Board, Toin Gakuen Educational Foundation, and Professor at Toin University of Yokohama. Professor at the Center for the Promotion of Higher Education Research and Development, Kyoto University. He specializes in psychology, focusing on adolescent identity formation and the decentralization of the self. He also has extensive experience in educational practice, including learning and growth, active learning, and the transition from school to work and society. He has authored many books.

Individual Programs

Method

Online

Content

Individual support for implementing inquiry-based learning and entrepreneurship education (for those who wish).

Lecturer

Shoji Akimoto

Representative Director, Yaromai Inc. Chief Coordinator, Okazaki Business Support Center (OkabiZ). Professor, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Musashino University. Director, NPO G-net. As the center manager of "OkabiZ," he has handled approximately 29,000 consultations from 4,480 companies. He has been featured in the media as a "consulting office with long queues for small and medium-sized enterprises."

Guests

Tomoe Makino

Yoichi Ito

Choshun Agui

Rikutaro Manabe

Daishu Teramoto

Kazunori Tomano

Shinichi Mizogami

Shoji Akimoto

Overall Advisor and Speaker

Masahiro Okamoto

Advisor and Professor Emeritus, Kyushu University Faculty of Co-creation. After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture at the same university, he served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan Medical School, among other positions. He led the establishment of Japan's first Faculty of Co-creation to train individuals capable of practicing methods such as backcasting to tackle challenges. In 2028, he plans to establish a joint degree program (International Collaborative Department) with the University of Glasgow.

Professor Emeritus Okamoto is overseeing the entire program as an advisor for "SakiTan."

Participation Application

Target Audience

High school teachers

Students aspiring to be educators

University faculty and staff

Teachers from elementary and junior high schools, special needs schools, and correspondence high schools

Board of Education and local government officials

Company executives and staff

Others (freelance school and cram school operators, prospective education business entrepreneurs, those interested in education, etc.)

Capacity

1st and 4th Programs (In-person): 130 participants

2nd and 3rd Programs (Zoom): 100 participants

Participation Fee

1,000 yen (Free for students)

How to Apply

Please apply via the application form on the special website below.

https://3in.co.jp/tankyu