Toyohashi Shinkin Bank (Head Office: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, Chairman: Tadanari Iwase) will hold the "Early Entrepreneur Education Program 'TOYOSHIN STARTUP SCHOOL'" where elementary school students (grades 4-6) and junior high school students in the Higashi-Mikawa and Kosai regions can learn about money, economics, and how companies work. The program will be held on August 1st (Sat.) and 2nd (Sun.), 2026 (8-hour program each day) and is free of charge.

Watching them think up their own business plans and apply for loans from current branch managers is a must-see! This event is highly popular with participants and parents every year, so "future presidents" are highly encouraged to participate!!

[URL] https://www.toyo-shin.co.jp/houjin/startup_school.shtml

Overview of "TOYOSHIN STARTUP SCHOOL" 2026

Date

August 1st, 2026 (Sat.): Grades 4-6 Elementary School Students

August 2nd, 2026 (Sun.): Junior High School Students

*Each day from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM (Please bring your own lunch).

Target Audience

Elementary school students (grades 4-6) and junior high school students attending school or residing in the Higashi-Mikawa and Kosai regions.

Capacity

30 participants per day *A lottery will be held if applications exceed capacity.

Location

MUSASHi Innovation Lab CLUE Address: 1-135 Ekimae Ohdori, Toyohashi City

Kokora Avenue 3F Access: Directly connected from the East Exit of JR and Meitetsu "Toyohashi Station"

Participation Fee

Free

How to Apply

Please apply by entering the required information via the dedicated application form.

URL: https://forms.gle/pzJvyTpeod9PvfL69

*Application Deadline: July 13th, 2026 (Mon.)

Lottery Results

Results will be sent via email to your registered address around July 17th, 2026 (Fri.).

Cooperating Organizations

Organizer: Toyohashi Shinkin Bank Co-organizers: Toyohashi City, MUSASHi Innovation Lab CLUE

Sponsors: Toyohashi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Higashi-Mikawa Startup Promotion Council

Program Supervision: Selfwing Inc.

What is "ToyoSta"?

TOYOSHIN STARTUP SCHOOL (abbreviated as ToyoSta) is an early entrepreneur education program for elementary and junior high school students. By experiencing the business world like adults, children can learn to leverage their strengths, identify nearby issues, and solve them through trial and error. This program fosters "entrepreneurship," the ability to expand future options and thrive in various fields, even in "times of uncertainty."

Entrepreneur education is not just for those aiming to become presidents.

Through this program, we aim to create a city where children who will bear the future of this town can "challenge, fail, and challenge again" as a matter of course.

In the 8-hour program, you will challenge the following!!

In the program, participants will brainstorm ideas for "goods to overcome the summer heat," organize them into a business plan, and present it to current branch managers of Toyohashi Shinkin Bank. They will receive hints on how to improve their plans, and finally, using mock currency, they will challenge sales and settlement. Through this series of programs, they will experience the process of creating a company and learn the importance of teamwork and money.

Watching them think up their own business plans and apply for loans from current branch managers is a must-see!

1 Let's Create a Company 2 Let's Think of a Product 3 Let's Conduct Market Research

4 Let's Create a Business Plan 5 Let's Present to Toyohashi Shinkin Bank Branch Managers (Loan Application)!

6 Let's Procure Materials and Create Products 7 Let's Promote and Sell Products 8 Let's Review the Settlement

*University students from the local area are scheduled to support the team activities on the day.

Program Supervision by Yukiko Hirai, Pioneer in Early Entrepreneur Education

Yukiko Hirai

Representative Director, Selfwing Inc.

SELFWING VIETNAM CO.,LTD

Early Entrepreneur Education Researcher

Ph.D. (Academic, Early Entrepreneur Education)

About Selfwing Inc.

Selfwing Inc. began its research in the 1990s and is a company that fosters an "entrepreneurial mindset from childhood" and the "ability to create one's own work" through entrepreneur education and entrepreneurship for young people. Aiming to create a society where everyone can create new jobs, its proprietary "Early Entrepreneur Education 'Selfwing Method'" has been developed through extensive research and is implemented in various locations nationwide, including Tokyo's entrepreneur education support programs for elementary and junior high school students. Recently, the company has conducted numerous early entrepreneur programs both domestically and internationally, including in East Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

URL: https://www.selfwing.co.jp/

About the Venue "MUSASHi Innovation Lab CLUE"

MUSASHi Innovation Lab CLUE (Address: 1-135 Ekimae Ohdori, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, Kokora Avenue 3F, established December 2018) is a hub aiming to create local innovations by fostering diverse encounters with other Higashi-Mikawa companies and local people. It provides an environment suitable for new business creation, where free ideas and high-quality discussions can take place, through activities such as holding incubation programs to foster entrepreneurs, pitch events to find partners and funding for business growth, and strengthening industry-academia-government collaboration.

CLUE Web Site: https://www.musashi.co.jp/clue/

Operator: Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd. https://www.musashi.co.jp/

Background of "TOYOSHIN STARTUP SCHOOL" Implementation

Japan has the lowest startup rate among major developed countries. Aichi Prefecture has the third-highest startup rate among prefectures, but it is still only 4.9% (FY2019). In our region (Higashi-Mikawa and Kosai), the number of businesses continues to decrease, raising concerns about the impact on the local economy. Amidst such circumstances, with changes in industrial and employment structures and the advancement of globalization, the career paths for children are changing significantly. The importance of career education, which enhances children's ability to independently choose and decide their own career paths and promotes social and vocational independence, is increasing, and entrepreneurship is gaining attention.

On the other hand, children have no work experience and are unaware of the various jobs available in the world. Opportunities to learn about money are also limited. Furthermore, they interact with very few adults during childhood. It is rare for children to even know about starting a business. Consequently, they often express "familiar dreams" such as becoming athletes or teachers and are guided towards exams to achieve them. We became increasingly concerned that the future of this town would not be bright if things remain as they are, with no time or opportunity to prepare for the sudden arrival of "adulthood."

In this era of rapid and drastic change and uncertainty, we considered how to teach children about "money" and "work." Our answer was to provide a practical educational program that cultivates a vocational perspective, enhances understanding of the local community, and fosters a business mindset. With the concept of "community-wide entrepreneur education" and aiming to become "a force for finding children's dreams," we planned the "TOYOSHIN STARTUP SCHOOL" to nurture local successors. This event was made possible through the cooperation of many related organizations, including local governments, support institutions, and local universities.

About Toyohashi Shinkin Bank

Toyohashi Shinkin Bank (nickname: Toyoshin) is a regional financial institution with the social mission of "Protecting the lives of this town, strengthening the economy of this town." For 100 years since its founding in October 1921, it has walked alongside companies and people in the Higashi-Mikawa and Kosai regions. Amidst these times, the era is changing significantly due to factors such as the declining birthrate and aging population, digitalization, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of financial institutions is also being called upon to evolve as never before. Now and in the future, Toyohashi Shinkin Bank will consider what is necessary for the region and act to create a sustainable society. Therefore, "Toyoshin" aims to be "a financial institution that holds dreams" and has launched the new initiative "Cheer for Everyone" project under the slogan "TOYOHASHI THINKING." As part of this, we planned this program to "become a force for finding children's dreams." We want to continue to be with the people of the region, thinking about the future of the region.

[Company Profile]

Company Name: Toyohashi Shinkin Bank

Location: 579 Kōwata-chō, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture

Representative: Chairman Tadanari Iwase

Established: October 1921

URL: https://www.toyo-shin.co.jp/

[Media Inquiries Regarding This Release]

Toyohashi Shinkin Bank, Sales Planning Department (Contact: Kurachi, Sato)

Tel: 0532-57-7109

Email: [email protected]

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Event