Announcement of Reading Group for 'Why is School Boring and Why is it Important?'

Minority Share.com Inc. (Headquarters: Nerima-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and Chairman: Yutaka Yamanaka; hereinafter "the Company") will host a reading group themed on Teruyuki Hirota's book 'Why is School Boring and Why is it Important?', co-organized with Nerima Political Study Group and Civil Division 8 Monitoring Committee.

This book re-examines the meaning of schools and education from a broad perspective through questions such as "Can morality be taught?", "Is school learning useful for work?", "Can education resolve disparities?", and "Will education change in an AI society?". The author believes that while schools are often boring and education can fail, they are still crucial places that provide children with a framework for viewing society and the ability to create the future.

Schools are not merely places to teach knowledge; they are also places where individuals meet others from different backgrounds, learn the rules of communal living, and grow into members of society while relativizing their own ideas. In this sense, the book starts from dissatisfaction and discomfort with schools, yet calmly and carefully considers why education is still necessary.

This reading group will discuss the role of schools, moral education, academic ability and work, educational disparities, and learning in the AI era as its main points. It aims to be a valuable place for learning and dialogue for those interested in education, child-rearing, and the future of society.

Book URL: https://x.gd/i0bYf

Author Profile

Teruyuki Hirota

Born in 1959. Professor, Department of Education, Faculty of Letters and Sciences, Nihon University. Specializes in sociology of education, researching modern and contemporary education from a social scientific perspective. Received the Suntory Prize for Arts and Sciences in 1997 for 'Educational Social History of Army Officers'.

Event Outline

Theme: Reading Group for 'Why is School Boring and Why is it Important?'

Organizer: Minority Share.com Inc.

Co-organizers: Nerima Political Study Group, Civil Division 8 Monitoring Committee

Date: Late May 2026 (scheduled)

Format: Zoom online

Participation Fee: Free (pre-registration required)

Application Method: Please apply by sending an email to info@shosukabu.com with the subject line 'Participation Request for Reading Group: Why is School Boring and Why is it Important?'.

Lecturer Profile

Yutaka Yamanaka

Born in December 1976, a representative activist investor of the '76 generation, art collector, philanthropist, political activity sponsor, election consultant, policy advisor, social activist, and Akita dog lover. Internationally recognized as a 'tech-savvy activist investor', he is historically the first Japanese person to accumulate over 150 billion yen in assets solely through investment.

In the early 2010s, he focused on Nvidia (NVIDIA), which develops GPGPU and artificial intelligence (AI) related semiconductors, investing approximately 2 billion yen and ultimately achieving returns of over 100 times, becoming the first Japanese pure investor to become a billionaire.

Graduated as valedictorian from the Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo. Obtained a Master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School (specializing in Financial Engineering), and studied abroad at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Co-representative partner of Investment Brothers LLC, co-founder and chairman of Minority Share.com Inc. Currently a shareholder in over 1,000 listed companies and over 200 unlisted companies worldwide. His investments include AI startups in Israel, healthcare ventures in Nigeria, and battery manufacturers in Taiwan, making him a truly global investor.

Having suffered from dyslexia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in his childhood, he launched a support program for children with learning disabilities, modeled after Charles Schwab, a major US discount broker. His personal physician is the renowned psychiatrist Professor Akira Iwanami (former director of Showa University Karasuyama Hospital).

Founder and representative of the political organization 'Association for the Establishment of a Constitutional Court in Japan', principal of 'Yamanaka Hoya Political and Economic School', founder and representative of the political organization 'Association for the Realization of a Tax-Free State in Japan', founder and representative of the political organization 'Association for the Early Restart of Nuclear Power Plants in Japan', founder and representative of the political organization 'Renewable Energy Rights Monitoring Committee', founder and representative of the 'Association Against Reduced Consumption Tax Rates on Food Products', and founder and representative of the 'Association for the Realization of Constitutional Amendment Aiming for a Unicameral System'.

Born in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo in 1976, as one of the grandchildren of Shigeru Yamanaka, founder of Hoya Glass (now HOYA Corporation, listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard, stock code 7741), a luxury crystal glass manufacturer at the time, and raised in Shakujii-dai, Nerima-ku. From an early age, he excelled academically, attending Oizumi Bunka Kindergarten, Ochanomizu University Elementary School, Musashi Junior and Senior High School, and graduating as valedictorian from the Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo.

In his childhood, he received a souvenir from a school trip from Takahiro Matsumoto, who lived in the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company dormitory in front of his house and was then a high school student at Kinjo High School, later to become the guitarist for B'z, growing up in a culturally rich environment.