List of Mentors
Color coding
Kan Suzuki
The University of Tokyo
After graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law in 1986, he joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). After working as an assistant professor at Keio University SFC, he was first elected to the House of Councillors in 2001, and served two terms as Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology during his 12-year term in the Diet. He was one of the first in Japan to promote the introduction of active learning. He was instrumental in the revision of the Courses of Study and the reform of the university admission system for the first time in 40 years. Vice President of the Society for Well-Being and Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the ruling party’s Special Mission Committee on Well-Being.
Sachiko Nakajima
General Incorporated Association steAmBAND
Producer of Osaka-Kansai Expo Theme Project
Sachiko Nakajima is a musician, a mathematics researcher, and a STEAM Educator. She is also CEO of steAm, Inc.,the representative director of steAm BAND Association and a thematic project producer of Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. She also serves as a STEM Girls Ambassador, Cabinet Office, and project researcher of Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences The University of Tokyo. She won the gold medal as the first Japanese woman in the International Mathematical Olympiad. She is a member of the Central Council for Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT), Industrial Structure Council, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and CSTI, Cabinet Office, as well as other committees related to educational reform. She is also a member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Classroom of the Future” & EdTech Study Group and involved in many demonstration projects. She is a visiting researcher at the Meiji Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences (MIMS), Meiji University. She is also a specially-appointed researcher at the Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences of the University of Tokyo. She is also involved in research on art and technology as well as music and mathematics education. I’d be happy to meet you all in one of these faces! : music (jazz, piano, composition) / mathematics / STEAM education / media art (study abroad experience in NY) / manager / mother / 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo theme project producer!"
Nobufumi Morita
Digital Fashion Co.
Born in Osaka, imported and sold CG and Mac apparel CAD for the fashion industry when it was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation. Participated in the establishment of Digital Fashion Corporation (currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Couture Digital) using 3D technology from Toyobo Co. Representative Director of Digital Fashion Creators Association. Contributed to the standardization of "3D Virtual Fashion" for the International Organization for Standardization/ISO/TC133, and cooperated in the production of costumes and souvenirs for the G20 2019 First Ladies. Organized the "Great Santa Run" and "OSAKA Akaru Forum" for the "OSAKA Akaru Club" charity. Held GFO BAND LIVE at Grand Front Osaka, the largest commercial facility in western Japan, featuring 30 bands. Held the "Sustaina Mode Art Exhibition" at the beach in Imabari. Held "SHIKI no Kai" charity color code event. Participated in the TEAM EXPO at the Osaka Kansai Expo with "Neo Japonism / ’Green x Digital x Fashion’". Aiming to become the "de facto standard for high-mix, small-lot, mass production" by expanding the culture of Japanese origin.
Misuzu Asari
Professor, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
In 2000, graduated from Department of Earth Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University. Earned a Doctor of Engineering degree in 2004. After serving as an associate professor at Earth Environment School of Kyoto University, currently a professor at Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. Research interests include "waste" and "environmental and SDGs education". Spends days observing waste issues and lifestyles worldwide. Actively contributes to making Kyoto University a sustainable campus, representing a microcosm of society. Founded the "Kyoto University Garbage Club" as a student, initiating environmental awareness and educational activities. Since 2005, involved in projects such as "Surprise! Eco 100 Selection" for achieving the Kyoto Protocol, "Surprise Eco Power Plant" addressing energy issues, and initiatives like "Eco World Kyoto University" and "Kyoto Super SDGs Consortium" aiming at SDGs implementation in Kyoto, including "Kyoto Satoyama SDGs Lab (Kotosu)". Also serves as the chairperson for the 17th edition of the "3R & Climate Change Test" scheduled for November 2024. Engages extensively in sustainability efforts at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Hikaru Ishii
Kirakira Hikaru Arts Japan
Born into an environment where the entire family engages in artistic activities, particularly creative dance (modern dance), I started dancing from a young age. During high school, I began playing taiko drums and developed a deep interest in folk performing arts at the same time. I completed training at the Kodo Cultural Foundation Institute. Currently, I work as a dancer and musician, researching and reporting on folk performing arts. I am also planning workshops and exchange events to foster global interest among young people in folk performing arts, aiming to encourage their appreciation worldwide.
Takefumi Kobayasi
Musician, steAm, Inc.
In addition to the drum set, he plays a variety of Japanese and Western percussion instruments. Besides his own musical group, "Koto-sun’n-kan", he is active in the bands of Masaki Hayashi, Michio Kobukawa, Yoshihide Otomo, and many others. He has composed and arranged music for NHK E-television’s. In 2013, he participated in the "Amachan Special Big Band" and sang in the 64th Red & White Year-end Song Festival. In recent years, he has been involved in various workshops using percussion instruments at schools, halls, museums, etc. From 2021, he is developing a percussion solo performance using "images as lighting" with self-programming.
Kazuhiro Komatsu
Faculty of Engineering, Shinshu University
After getting a Doctor of Engineering in the field of water supply from the Department of Urban Engineering, the University of Tokyo, I worked at the National Institute for Environmental Studies and studied the water quality in rivers and lakes for 17 years. Since 2021, I’m studying the water cycle consisting of human society and the water environment (water environment → water supply → human society → wastewater → water environment) in Shinshu University. Due to climate change, frequent disasters, and aging water/sewerage facilities issues, this cycle is now at a turning point and must be changed. How should it be changed? What is the optimum solution? I’m thinking about it every day.
Yutaka Shikano
Tsukuba University
Theoretical physicist. Completed the doctoral program in basic physics at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2011, earning a PhD in Science. Subsequently worked at the Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, the Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, and the Quantum Computing Center at Keio University before assuming current position in 2021. Motivated by exploring the boundary between visible and invisible aspects of nature, conducting research on "measurement methods." Also researching data quality and data processing techniques for measured data.
Rinka Saito
Waseda University
Born in Aichi Prefecture. Born with a severe hearing impairment, she faced a lot of discrimination and prejudice from childhood. To overcome adversity, she participated in speech contests. She won the Prime Minister’s Cup and the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Cup, and was awarded first place in Japan. She studied abroad for an extended period of time at a high school in the United States under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Overseas Study Support Program. Currently a junior at Waseda University. Volunteered at the Ukrainian border and was selected as the youngest student to participate in a project to foster women’s political participation, and received the 2022 Waseda University Student Award. She is also a member of the Suzukan Seminar led by Hiroshi Suzuki at Keio University.
Takeshi Suzuka
setAm, Inc. and Shikoku University
Takeshi Suzuka taught in the Business Studies Club at Tokushima Commercial High School, where he developed an integrated, hands-on approach to product development and package design in collaboration with local businesses and now teaches at Faculty of Management and Information Science, Shikoku University. He has also been developing initiatives to support the self-reliance of the Cambodia-Japan Friendship School with the school’s students since 2013. These activities were the driving force behind the school’s winning of the Prime Minister’s Award, the first high school to receive the first place in the Consumer Merit Award in 2008. In September, the school also led a student presentation at the G20 International Meeting on Consumer Policy, which was highly praised by officials from around the world. Ethical Koshien 2019 Grand Prize for the Best Teachers
Shion Taniyama
Visiting Researcher, Super City Research Center, Osaka Metropolitan University; Research Fellow, Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, Shikoku University; Information Technology Expert, National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training (INPIT); President and CEO, AVAD Inc.
CEO at AVAD K.K. As a Specially Appointed Research Fellow for the Tokushima Light Art Project(T-LAP) at Shikoku University, I have experience in art and design utilizing light, LED, ICT, and AI. Former representative company of the T-LAP Consortium. I am promoting the utilization of EdTech and AgriTech using the super easy programming tool called ‘SPACEBLOCK.’ I am also the co-representative of Taniyama Farm, an pesticide-free strawberry farm that leverages IoT. I serve as a committee member for the future Osaka Sports Festival. I hold AWS certifications.
Naohiro Tamura
Principal of Tokiwamatsu Gakuen Junior and Senior High School
Born in 1971, I started my career as a science teacher at Osaka Technical High School (now Joko Gakuen Junior and Senior High School) in 1995. I have been serving as a homeroom teacher continuously for 24 years. During this time, I have achieved consistent results in teaching physics and mathematics for exams, as well as coaching the table tennis club and guiding research projects. As a member of the Teachers’ Initiative, I belong to the "Suzukan Lab." In my quest to confirm that a harmonious teachers’ lounge leads to success, I took on the role of principal, where I am currently in my third year.
Miho Nakajima
RIKEN Center for Brain Science
I received a PhD degree from Rockefeller University (USA) in 2012. After postdoctoral studies at NYU and MIT, I returned to Japan in 2020 as the Deputy Team Leader of the Distributed Cognitive Processing Laboratory at the RIKEN Center for Brain Science. Using a combination of cutting-edge cognitive behavioral tasks, molecular biology, electrophysiology, and optogenetics, I aim to unravel the neural mechanisms of cognitive flexibility.My research will help to elucidate the causes of disorders in which cognitive flexibility is disrupted, such as addiction, leading to new treatments. At the same time, my findings will enable development of new artificial intelligence designs that mimic the brain’s ability to generate flexible ideas.
Lukas Ian Schmitt
RIKEN Center for Brain Science
I am a system neuroscientist and leader of the distributed cognit i ve processing team at the RIKEN Center for Braiñ Science. Buildi ng on my training at Tufts University, NYU and MIT, my current re search seeks to understand information processing in the brain th at underlies perception and intelligence. More specifically we de velop and apply cutting—edge techniques such as optogenetic contr 01 of neural activity and electrophysiological recording methods to understand how the brain creates and updates an internal model of reality. We also seek to leverage this insight gained from our research to help create treatments to help people suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders involving abnormal perception, such as schizophrenia.
Fuminori Nakata
Fukushima University, Faculty of Human Development and Culture
My specialty is differential geometry, especially twistor theory. My research focuses on curved space-time and spaces with complicated symmetries. From 2021, I started practices and research on STEAM education. Principal Investigator of Fukushima University Priority Research Field (foR-F Project) “Establishing the Pioneering Fukushima-Type STEAM Education”. Author of "Invitation to Four-Dimensional Differential Geometry (Japanese)" (co-authored by Yasuo Matsushita, Hiroyuki Kamata and Fuminori Nakata, SAIENSU-SHA, SGC Library 113). Ph.D. (Mathematical Sciences) : Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences, the University of Tokyo.
Kota Nakadate
steAm, Inc.
As a former public elementary school teacher, I have been working for 19 years with the motto "Fun memories and solid confidence!"After moving to Nagano Prefecture, I started my own business as a "Self-oriented" mental coach. To support teachers who support children. First of all, I want to help teachers themselves to "take care of themselves". And to "live happily as themselves". I am implementing a program to create a "Self-oriented" mentality.
Others
Certified Coach of the Mental Foundation Coach Association of Japan
Lecturer for Benesse’s "Mirai Campus"
Director of NPO "Kyoyoiku no Mori"
Certified trainer of "Japan Self-Esteem Promotion Association", etc.
Focusing on updating the educational environment in various fields
Ryosuke Nakanishi
No-Side, Inc.
President of No-Side, Inc. We support children and adults with severe disabilities who need medical care in Osaka. No matter how severe the disability, we provide a place where children can feel safe, a chance to connect with society, and an environment where they can work no matter how severe their disability is! This is the theme of No Side.
Zhang Chenhe
steAm, Inc.
Born in Harbin, China, he has a diverse background that includes museum, performing arts, music recording engineering, media art, graphic design, and creative technology. He has lived and studied in various places around the world, such as Beijing, New York, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, and has worked for the National Museum of China and the Art & Science Research Center in Beijing, China. He is interested in brainstorming and ideas, uncovering hidden connections between different concepts and things, traditional culture, everyday life culture, interactive installations, and museum merchandise design. His works primarily focus on human cultures, everyday life, and science, observed from a unique perspective and presented in a playful form. Embracing the spirit of interdisciplinary, he constantly seeks fresh and innovative approaches to create joyful and meaningful experiences for his audience. He plays a little piano, guitar, and cello, and he enjoys discussing creative and absurd ideas.
Katsuhiro Nishinari
Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
Prof.Nishinari received the PhD degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1995. He then worked at the Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering at Yamagata University, and the Department of Mathematical Informatics at Ryukoku University, and is currently a professor at the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. His specialty is mathematical physics, and he is a proponent of ‘Jamology’, a cross-disciplinary study of various traffic jams, and his book ‘Jamology’ (Shincho-Sensho) won the Kodansha Science Publishing Award. He was selected for Outstanding Contribution to Science and Technology 2013 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in 2021.
Saki PARK
University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy
After graduating, she was involved in running unlicensed nurseries and developing businesses related to childcare. She joined the Graduate School of Public Policy with the aim of creating a society where every child is empowered, all children are included, and all teachers can safely practice childcare and early childhood education. She is currently researching intercultural childcare and the performance of childcare professionals.
Jun Mitani
Professor, Faculty of Systems and Information Science, University of Tsukuba
Professor in Information and Systems Department at University of Tsukuba, born in 1975 in Shizuoka Prefecture. Completed doctoral studies in the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo in 2004, earning a PhD in Engineering. After working as a researcher at the RIKEN institute, joined University of Tsukuba in 2005. Primary research interests include shape modeling, computational geometry, and computational origami. Served as a council member of the Japan Origami Academic Society (2008-2016, 2018-) and is a member of the Japan Society for Graphics Science and the Information Processing Society of Japan. Authored books include "3D Origami Art" (Nippon Hyoron Sha Co., Ltd. ) and "Curved Origami Design" (Nippon Hyoron Sha Co., Ltd. ).
Shinichi Hamasaki
cocre-lab Co., Ltd.
Experienced in all aspects of tourism operations and specialized in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector. Previously engaged in overseas incentive travel, conventions, and events while working at a travel agency, and involved in numerous municipal projects. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, worked on Host Town projects. Currently contributing to regional revitalization efforts centered on tourism as part of the Digital Garden City Nation Initiative, collaborating with local governments. Also involved in international exchange projects for the Expo.
Keita Ogushi
Otemon Gakuin University
At Otemon Gakuin University, I manage the "WIL Promotion Center," which promotes collaborative and project-based learning, and also work as a learning coordinator, involved in the development and implementation of industry-academia collaboration projects. I value an adventurous approach to learning, rather than learning with predetermined answers. Furthermore, driven by my interest in social transformation through cutting-edge technology, I participate in a network of entrepreneurs around the world, and in recent years have focused on the practical application and research of the tourism sector utilizing the metaverse.
Yohei Iketani
steAm Co., Ltd.
After gaining teaching experience at a prefectural high school and a private integrated junior and senior high school, I joined steAm Inc. I believe in the potential of creativity that emerges when individuals come together as they are.
Shoko Mori
Tokyo Metropolitan University
After apprenticing with a signboard painter in the Republic of Ghana (West Africa) and mastering the craft, they have pursued—as an artist-researcher—collaborative ethnographic expression and exhibitions, methodologies in the anthropology of art, and alternative ethnographic research. Their interests also extend to music video, activism, performance studies, and gender/queer theory. Following roles with the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), the Japan Foundation (as a local coordinator), and Arts Council Tokyo (as an arts and culture researcher), they are currently a doctoral student in the Graduate School of Humanities at Tokyo Metropolitan University. They also serve as a part-time lecturer at the College of Global Studies, Aoyama Gakuin University. Their publications include *Traveling Signboard Paintings* and *The Anthropologist Who Loves "Moe" Culture*.
Koichi Wada
Association for the Rehabilitation of the Visually Impaired
Born in Ehime Prefecture in 1958, she was diagnosed with a rare retinal disease in her second year of junior high school and lost her sight at the age of 30. For 35 years, she worked as a teacher at a school for the blind, promoting information education in visual impairment education and developing audio and braille software for the visually impaired. Currently, she practices low vision care at the Kobe Eye Center, with the motto "Don
Kohei Moroi
steAm Co., Ltd.
After completing a graduate degree in chemistry, I worked as a high school teacher for about 10 years, focusing on inquiry-based learning and career education. Later, I transitioned to an engineering and project management role, participating in multiple system development projects. Currently, I work as a freelancer, focusing on education, community development, and IT.
Ryunosuke Takada
Kyushu University
Born in 2007, Ryunosuke Takada is an artist and researcher working at the unique intersection of mathematics and music. Since childhood, his deep engagement with piano, percussion, and composition has evolved into a focus on interactive expressions, including algorithmic composition and the sonification of mathematical models. He applies his research to the field of instrument design, overseeing the entire creative lifecycle from branding to performance. A top-prize winner at the Italy PAS International Percussion Competition, Ryunosuke Takada strives to dissolve the boundaries between academia, art, and craftsmanship, seeking to define new forms of expression through the harmony of logic and intuition.
Taku Nishimori
Meiji University Institute for Advanced Mathematical Sciences
Self-organization phenomena can be observed in various places in nature, from wind patterns on sand dunes and the spiral structure of galaxies to the complex division of labor among ants. Self-organization is the phenomenon in which beautiful, highly symmetrical spatial patterns and complex organizations are formed and maintained by the autonomous dynamics of the elements in each part of a system, without a leader overseeing the whole or a precise blueprint. I am exploring the mechanisms of various self-organization phenomena through mathematical models and experiments. Self-organization phenomena are all around us, and I hope to share the wonder of discoveries, big and small, and the joy of research.
Hirochika Nakamaki
Professor Emeritus, National Museum of Ethnology
Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1947. He completed his doctoral studies at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tokyo, earning a PhD in Literature. He is a Professor Emeritus at the National Museum of Ethnology. He has conducted cultural anthropological research on the religions of Japanese and people of Japanese descent in Japan, the United States, and Brazil, and has also conducted ethnographic research on Amazonian shamanism in Brazil. Through collaborative research at the National Museum of Ethnology, he pioneered the field of management anthropology and promoted research on corporate culture. Furthermore, he advocated "calendar studies," which compares calendar cultures around the world, and has published works such as "Seeing the World Through Calendars" and "Calendar School: Learning from Professor Hirochika" (5 volumes). He is also the Special Director of the Suita City Museum and the Chairman of the Senri Cultural Foundation.
Kazuhiko Tokuhashi
Japan International Cooperation Agency Kansai Center (JICA)
Regional Cooperation Advisor at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). After graduating from university, she joined JICA. She spent approximately 14 years working in various African countries, including Kenya and Malawi, tackling diverse challenges while collaborating with people from different cultures and with different values. Drawing on her own experiences, she wants to share her insights not only on international cooperation and developing countries, but also on the anxieties and challenges of studying and working abroad, and the desire to play an active role on the global stage.
Yoshiko Takeuchi
Co-representative of Shikoku Global Network (NPO)
After working in the private sector and for international organizations, the individual launched "Ehime Global Network" in 1998—coinciding with the enactment of the NPO Law—to initiate civic activities. The organization was incorporated as an NPO in 2005, with the individual serving as Representative Director, and was renamed "Shikoku Global Network (SGN)" in 2024; the individual currently serves as a Co-Representative. They have promoted public-private partnerships while concurrently holding roles such as NGO Consultant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (since 2004), Head of the Shikoku Environmental Partnership Office under the Ministry of the Environment (since 2007), and Head of the Shikoku Regional ESD Activity Support Center (since fiscal year 2017). With over 25 years of experience in support activities for Mozambique, they are dedicated to building a peaceful and sustainable society through the creation of multi-layered networks. Their guiding motto is: "Think globally, act locally, and change personally!"
Mie Katsuno
Takasaki University of Health and Welfare
Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Takasaki University of Health and Welfare; PhD (Lifespan Development Science); Executive Director, Japan Society for Food Education; Specially Appointed Professor, Shikoku University
Kaoru Suemori
National Museum of Ethnology
After studying at International Christian University and the University of Tsukuba Graduate School, I gained practical experience in the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage through my work at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and JICA
Shigeo Hirose
Kataraizu
He assumed his current position in May 2025. From 2017, he contributed to the development of Kansai, particularly Osaka, as the Secretary-General of the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives (until 2025). From 2010, he served as the Director of the Kansai Economic Research Center at the Japan Research Institute, Ltd., where he conducted economic analysis and made policy recommendations (until 2017). For three years and three months from 2007, he served as a staff member of the Representative Director of the Kansai Association of Corporate Executives, working on a wide range of themes from national security to childcare. He is a former branch manager of the Okayama and Senri-Chuo branches of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. He has given over 100 lectures in the past. He has also been a columnist for the Nikkei Shimbun