January 2012 SIFJ Delegates
For the 2nd Social Innovation Forum: Japan we welcome NINE Japanese social leaders to Seattle. Each Forum Delegate was selected based on merit, impact, and motivation for accelerating change in Japan through the growth of domestic and global partnerships. Don't forget to check out the EVENTS PAGE for information about how to connect with these exceptional leaders.
Tomoe Kawafuchi (email) is the Co-Founder of One Life Japan, Founder of Warashibe Kitchen. These social enterprises focus on rebuilding strong lively communities in aging, rural Japan utilizing under-developed renewable resources, and presenting the beauty and positive aspects of rural life to young adults through workshops, outdoor adventure, and the hands-on cultivation of abandoned fields to grow organic rice and vegetables. Warashibe* Kitchen, expanded from One Life Japans "Food and Life" program, is the center of research and development for field-to-table business models, finding new value-added uses for discarded/undervalued resources found in much of rural Japan. The end goal is to inspire younger generations both in the city and countryside, to reconnect with, learn from, and utilize traditional methods while providing them with viable livelihoods to enable them to live in endangered rural Japan villages.
Ms. Kawafuchi and her husband started One Life Japan and Warashibe after coming to the realization that their personal and professional life in Tokyo was running counter to what they cared most about: working towards developing a self/community sufficient, sustainable lifestyle within a lively community. They moved from Tokyo to a small village in one of the snowiest habitat areas of area of Japan and the world to live what they believe in, to inspire others to find and pursue their passion and to provide a model of a community-oriented sustainable lifestyle.
In regards to the transformation post 3.11, Ms. Kawafuchi said, "I wish to see a Japan where people can live and work locally, afford to take active roles in diverse activities outside their profession, and enjoy time spent with family and interest groups while smiling and laughing more, and where people learn to recognize and enjoy the abundant benefits of nature for food and energy, and develop locally sustainable economic systems instead of being highly dependent on imported resources.”
Kyoko Ikeda (email) is the President of INTERBEING Co., a company based in Tokyo that specializes in custom-designing education programs. Kyoko is an intercultural education specialist with a decade of experience as an English teacher, interpreter, and translator between English and Japanese languages. INTERBEING Co. works with Japanese national maritime colleges in designing their international internship programs, as well as content-based English programs in Hawaii. She studied as an undergraduate in the United States, majoring in psychology and Asian studies, and holds a MA from the Graduate School of Intercultural Communications at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. Ms. Ikeda is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Rikkyo University. She was a fellow of the East-West Center’s Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) in Honolulu, Hawaii between 2006-2007, and is currently working as APLP staff in the 2011-2012 program, coordinating Japan programs. Ms. Ikeda is based in Tokyo, but travels to Hawaii frequently for her business.
Kyoko is interested in bringing in young emerging leaders from Asia Pacific to the region to co-imagine and co-create the futures of the Asia Pacific. When asked about her vision for the post-earthquake era Tohoku she wrote: “To reconnect with our wisdom. Reconnect with our voices. Reconnect with our intuitive knowing. Reconnect with our stories. Reconnect with our sacred. Reconnect with what really nurtures us. And treasure and nourish them all, as they will guide us through the uncharted waters into the futures. Our journey may encourage others to embark on their journey. “
Ryo Imamura (email) is the Vice President of Katariba, a nonprofit that provides a variety of career education and civic empowerment opportunities for high school students throughout Japan. In 2003, as a university student, Ryo joined Katariba to build a business strategy to expanding the organizations operations, making their services available to more young people. His efforts were fruitful. In 2010, with the expansion of Katariba’s business scale, Ryo assumed the role of Vice President overseeing division operations and development. In addition to his work at Katariba, Ryo has also participated in other social entrepreneurship trainings such as NEC Corporations Social Incubation Program through Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities (ETIC). Ryo is also an adjunct professor at Kaetsu University.
Katariba launched a new department in an effort to strengthen recovery efforts in Tohoku post 3/11. New programs include Hatachi Funds, Collabo-School, Kizuna High School. Hatachi Funds was established to continually support the emotional, spiritual, and educational needs for orphans until they reach 20 years old. Collabo-School is a new type of school program that teaches students about collaboration and innovation around a shared mission. And Finally, Kizuna High School is a camp program for 100 high school students in order to grow precious human resources that re-establish Tohoku over the next ten years.
Koumei Ishikawa (email) is the Research Division Manager at Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities (ETIC), a non-profit organization focused on incubating start-up social entrepreneurs throughout Japan. Koumei’s primary role is to implement project evaluation and training, policy recommendation assistance, impact evaluation, and to understand the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs to other nonprofit and social ventures throughout Japan. Koumei was selected as a Global Shaper in the World Economy Forum in 2011.
ETIC is implementing a project, which is called "right-hand man detachment project" to support reconstruction in Tohoku, sending young people with proficient skills of creating new businesses to enhance speed and accuracy of creating new businesses to leaders who challenge creation of new businesses in Tohoku area. To date, ETIC has sent more than 60 young entrepreneurs who established over 30 projects.
Tetsuo Kato (email) is the Managing Director of World in Asia (WIA). Tetsuo gained a foundational understanding of how to harness business know-how to drive effective solutions to social issues through his work at Neoteny Venture Development Co., Ltd., a venture capitol consulting team. Since then, Tetsuo has worked as a consultant with numerous non-profits in Japan and other Asian countries. At Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities (ETIC), a non-profit organization incubating start-up social entrepreneurs in Japan, Tetsuo led the incubation program for the regional replications of their entrepreneurship development model. After traveling all over Asia to learn about and lend his business development skills to local entrepreneurs, he published “Creativity of The Bottom: Innovations from the Developing Countries”, a series of case reports on Asia’s most innovative social entrepreneurs. English translation of the book is in progress.
Captivated by the passion and the ideas of social entrepreneurs inspired by the earthquake, Tetsuo founded WIA in September with an aim to connect them with global citizens through dialogue-based crowdfunding. He believes that through WIA, a platform that connects the global society with Japanese social entrepreneurs, empowered entrepreneurship in Asia could help the world overcome its own challenges. Tetsuo believes that with Tohoku as Asia's innovation laboratory, social entrepreneurs from Japan could lead the global society with innovative solutions for the issues that the rest of the world will soon be facing.
Makoto Matsuura (email) is the Founder of Kodomo Bonsai, an organization that provides unique hands-on educational activities for children ages 4-18 to discover, understand, and contribute to community development. In 2007, after 2 years of examining the economic and social impacts of a regional shopping center and participating in a training program at ETIC, Makoto designed and led the large scale community development simulation event, “Mini Osaka 2007”. Children learned about economics and social services and how to build a city. More than 400 children participated in simulated town experience where each child was given a job, and through the simulation learned about money, job responsibilities and the architecture of society. The great success of the event sparked the establishment of Kodomo-Bonsai.
In addition to implementing career education classes to more than 10,000 students from elementary school to high school in Osaka, Makoto has shifted to focus to the reimagination of Tohoku. To help support reconstruction of devastated areas, Kodomo has launched a new program called the Tohoku-Kodomo-Machidukuri Summit. The Summit engages youth from devastated areas, encouraging them to imagine, create, and share their reconstruction dream plans with the greater community.
Yuya Nishimura (email) is the Founder and Executive Director of Miratsuku, a nonprofit with a mission to promote social entrepreneurship, youth community leadership, and possible futures with dialogue places by creating ideas and building connections. Yuya is also the President of Dialogue Bar, a professional association that working to create spaces of dialogue between different ages and sectors to build the future of local areas in Japan. Following the Earthquake of 2011, Yuya created two dialogue project. one is a dialogue to grow youth as a community leader and the other is a dialogue with next generation leaders, partnership with "Rikuzentakata-Recreation of the home land-Conference”, in the affected area in Iwate prefecture from 2011. This dialogue provides spaces for local young people and leaders who are involved in reconstruction assistance to talk about issues of weakening community and the drain of young people in devastated areas.
Yuji Suzuki (email) is the Chief Program Officer of TSK Miyagi, where he manages the foundation and operation of an intermediary financial group to support reconstruction assistance in the areas affected by the March earthquake and tsunami. He has also coordinated young volunteer work groups to help with the immediate aftermath of the events. In the past, Yuji has travelled the world and worked in many fields, with a focus on youth and efficient and innovative fund implementation. Yuji believes the Tohoku Earthquake revealed local issues that were not resolved in the past, and the accident of the nuclear power plant clearly showed the problem of energy and the social cost associated with it. To succeed in reconstruction, he wants to create a model of innovative and creative social actions and resources, and he dreams big about the possibilities of organic cooperation between people, resources, and information.
Kasumi Ushida (email) is the Co-Founder and Director of Tokyo Satogaeri Project (TSP). TSP was organized by the Tokyo Midwives Association with cooperation from the Japanese Midwives Association and supports expectant and nursing mothers affected by the Tohoku Pacific Earthquake/Tsunami in March 2011. The project works to provide warm shelter, food, and other services to expectant and nursing mothers, combating the increased risk of miscarriage or labor complications and difficulty nursing caused by the harsh living conditions of evacuation centers. Kasumi wants to promote the development of Japanese consciousness that shifted from the 3/11 events. More than 700 people and organizations worked in collaboration to donate or give relief goods to Tokyo Satogaeri Project. Prior to 3/11, non-profit organizations and donations were uncommon in Japan, and Kasumi is working to continue to activate civic activities inspired by the catastrophe, promoting development at personal, community, state, and global levels.
