Aru Inc. Appoints Kiyonori Higuchi as Advisor for Podcast Business
Aru Inc. has appointed Kiyonori Higuchi, a JAPAN PODCAST AWARDS winner, as a Podcast Advisor. He will support the improvement of Aru's Podcast program quality, development of new programs, and overall audio content business strategy, with a new program featuring him and CEO Kensuke Furukawa also planned.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 02:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 17:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 8, 2026 at 17:46 (14 min after Collected)
Aru Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kensuke Furukawa (Kensu); hereinafter "Aru") is pleased to announce the appointment of Kiyonori Higuchi as an advisor for its Podcast business. Mr. Higuchi is a leading creator in Japan's Podcast scene, known as the personality of "Koten Radio, Learning History in an Interesting Way," which won both the Grand Prize and Spotify Award at the JAPAN PODCAST AWARDS 2019, and also operates multiple Podcast programs himself.
With this appointment, Aru will establish a system that leverages Mr. Higuchi's expertise to improve the quality of Aru's Podcast programs, develop new programs, and formulate overall business strategies in the audio content domain.
Overview of Advisor Appointment
Appointee: Kiyonori Higuchi
Position: Podcast Advisor (Consultant)
About Kiyonori Higuchi
Kiyonori Higuchi, as the representative director of BOOK Inc., operates "Iikane Palette," a complex facility utilizing a closed school in Tagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture. In parallel, he launched "Koten Radio, Learning History in an Interesting Way" in 2018. This program won both the Grand Prize and Spotify Award at the JAPAN PODCAST AWARDS 2019, leaving a significant impact on Japan's Podcast history.
With a unique career as a composer, comedian, and entrepreneur, he appears in numerous Podcast programs including "Koten Radio," "Gichi's Perfect Human Land," "New Adult Virus," "Love Song Workshop," "LIFE TALK," and "Humanoid Frontline." He also serves as an advisor for "Podcast Lab. Fukuoka," a podcaster community launched jointly with RKB Mainichi Broadcasting, focusing on nurturing creators, community management, and consulting for program production, possessing a wide range of knowledge regarding the planning, production, and operation of audio content.
Background of Appointment and Future Initiatives
Aru currently operates two Podcast programs, "Goshintaku Radio" (featuring Atsushi Minowa and Kensuke Furukawa) and "Genkai Toppa Lifehack" (featuring Kei Tanaka and Kensuke Furukawa), and is focusing on its Podcast business.
The background of this appointment is to combine the creative knowledge cultivated through the planning and development of generative AI services with Mr. Higuchi's on-site experience in audio content, to create "Podcasts no one has done yet."
Mr. Higuchi will primarily provide advice in the following areas:
● Advice on improving content quality and expanding listeners for existing Podcast programs.
● Support for planning and developing new programs (including a new program featuring Mr. Higuchi and Kensuke Furukawa).
● Support for planning Podcast-related services.
● Strategy formulation for the entire audio content business.
A new Podcast program featuring Mr. Higuchi and Representative Furukawa Kensuke is scheduled to start soon. Details will be announced as soon as they are decided.
Comment from Advisor Kiyonori Higuchi
From what I've heard on a super famous program like "Koten Radio," it seems that things once considered good are now often considered not good. That's how much the values of "good" or "interesting" change with the times, and no one can accurately predict what will be evaluated how many years from now. In other words, it's important to pursue the correct answer at the present moment, but it's not necessarily the correct answer in the long term. In that context, what I believe I can do as an advisor for Aru is to "create and leave behind many different things without being too constrained by current evaluation criteria." I will also create new things myself in the form of a program with Kensu-san, and I want to create a world itself where "various people can freely create and disseminate various things." Kensu-san and everyone at Aru have amazing creativity and speed. That goes without saying. But above all, the atmosphere where "we can seriously do strange things together while having fun" is the best. Since I've been given a playground, I'm excited about what kind of fun I'll have with my new friends.
Comment from Representative Director Kensuke Furukawa (Kensu)
Mr. Higuchi is a pioneer in the Podcast world, but his greatness is not only as an MC; he is also a genius as a program producer and community designer. I believe Podcasts will be an important factor in further updating Japanese media, but if we are not careful, they could become just another internet medium where attracting attention is the winning condition, or merely a place for celebrities to connect with fans. By thinking about the future of Podcasts with Mr. Higuchi, we can create an environment where it is easier to produce better content.
With this appointment, Aru will establish a system that leverages Mr. Higuchi's expertise to improve the quality of Aru's Podcast programs, develop new programs, and formulate overall business strategies in the audio content domain.
Overview of Advisor Appointment
Appointee: Kiyonori Higuchi
Position: Podcast Advisor (Consultant)
About Kiyonori Higuchi
Kiyonori Higuchi, as the representative director of BOOK Inc., operates "Iikane Palette," a complex facility utilizing a closed school in Tagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture. In parallel, he launched "Koten Radio, Learning History in an Interesting Way" in 2018. This program won both the Grand Prize and Spotify Award at the JAPAN PODCAST AWARDS 2019, leaving a significant impact on Japan's Podcast history.
With a unique career as a composer, comedian, and entrepreneur, he appears in numerous Podcast programs including "Koten Radio," "Gichi's Perfect Human Land," "New Adult Virus," "Love Song Workshop," "LIFE TALK," and "Humanoid Frontline." He also serves as an advisor for "Podcast Lab. Fukuoka," a podcaster community launched jointly with RKB Mainichi Broadcasting, focusing on nurturing creators, community management, and consulting for program production, possessing a wide range of knowledge regarding the planning, production, and operation of audio content.
Background of Appointment and Future Initiatives
Aru currently operates two Podcast programs, "Goshintaku Radio" (featuring Atsushi Minowa and Kensuke Furukawa) and "Genkai Toppa Lifehack" (featuring Kei Tanaka and Kensuke Furukawa), and is focusing on its Podcast business.
The background of this appointment is to combine the creative knowledge cultivated through the planning and development of generative AI services with Mr. Higuchi's on-site experience in audio content, to create "Podcasts no one has done yet."
Mr. Higuchi will primarily provide advice in the following areas:
● Advice on improving content quality and expanding listeners for existing Podcast programs.
● Support for planning and developing new programs (including a new program featuring Mr. Higuchi and Kensuke Furukawa).
● Support for planning Podcast-related services.
● Strategy formulation for the entire audio content business.
A new Podcast program featuring Mr. Higuchi and Representative Furukawa Kensuke is scheduled to start soon. Details will be announced as soon as they are decided.
Comment from Advisor Kiyonori Higuchi
From what I've heard on a super famous program like "Koten Radio," it seems that things once considered good are now often considered not good. That's how much the values of "good" or "interesting" change with the times, and no one can accurately predict what will be evaluated how many years from now. In other words, it's important to pursue the correct answer at the present moment, but it's not necessarily the correct answer in the long term. In that context, what I believe I can do as an advisor for Aru is to "create and leave behind many different things without being too constrained by current evaluation criteria." I will also create new things myself in the form of a program with Kensu-san, and I want to create a world itself where "various people can freely create and disseminate various things." Kensu-san and everyone at Aru have amazing creativity and speed. That goes without saying. But above all, the atmosphere where "we can seriously do strange things together while having fun" is the best. Since I've been given a playground, I'm excited about what kind of fun I'll have with my new friends.
Comment from Representative Director Kensuke Furukawa (Kensu)
Mr. Higuchi is a pioneer in the Podcast world, but his greatness is not only as an MC; he is also a genius as a program producer and community designer. I believe Podcasts will be an important factor in further updating Japanese media, but if we are not careful, they could become just another internet medium where attracting attention is the winning condition, or merely a place for celebrities to connect with fans. By thinking about the future of Podcasts with Mr. Higuchi, we can create an environment where it is easier to produce better content.