COTEN Inc. to Launch "Gender Inclusive Consortium" in September 2026 to Tackle Structural Transformation of the Labor Market Across Industries

COTEN Inc. (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Representative Director: Ryunosuke Fukai) will launch the "Gender Inclusive Consortium," a corporate community aiming to structurally transform the labor market across industries, in September 2026. The Gender Inclusive Consortium is a monthly participation-based corporate community designed to share an understanding of labor market structures based on the humanities across industries and connect each company's initiatives to the transformation of social norms. [Why a "Consortium"?] For Those Fighting a Lonely Battle Within Their Companies Many individuals seriously addressing Japan's gender gap find themselves fighting a lonely battle within their companies. "Our company's efforts alone won't change the market," or "We don't know how to convey the structural necessity to management." The background to this is the fact that the gender gap is a "structural problem of the entire labor market" that cannot be solved by a single company's institutional reforms. Even if one company implements innovative systems, their effects will be limited unless external structures such as the hiring market, career paths, and social norms change. That is precisely why solidarity across industries and the presence of peers who share an understanding of the structure are necessary. This consortium, as a "corporate community" that updates industry common sense, serves as a platform for sharing a paradigm shift based on structural understanding. Society does not change through actions alone. Society begins to move only when a group of companies that share a paradigm shift based on structural understanding starts to act. [Project Overview] Driving Social Change with a Two-Layered Structure: Co-Lab and Consortium The Gender Inclusive Consortium is a platform that opens up insights, built upon COTEN's nearly four years of accumulated humanities-based structural research and the practical knowledge gained from co-creation projects "Co-Lab" promoted with leading companies, to a wider range of companies. It is designed as a platform for companies that want to start moving at the担当者 (person in charge) level to deepen their structural understanding through monthly participation, encounter examples from other companies, and bring them back to their own workplaces for policy implementation. While Co-Lab is a "fully committed corporate alliance where management is committed," this consortium is an "open-flow corporate community." The two are linked, and the flow is envisioned where companies that gain structural understanding through the consortium can then connect to Co-Lab for deeper commitment. [Accumulated Efforts and the Scale Aimed for by This Consortium] COTEN's research and compilation of Gender Inclusive Survey Data (GI Data) has been utilized by over 40 corporations to date. Co-Lab is transitioning from a "learning phase" to a "creation and implementation phase" starting in fiscal year 2026. In the medium to long term, this consortium aims to expand to a scale of 200 companies, representing approximately 3-5% of listed companies. This represents a reproducible scale of change based on historical and social scientific analysis. [Value Proposition] What Will Be Continuously Provided to Participating Companies Participating companies will continuously receive the following: Provision of COTEN's research findings on gender inclusivity. Continuous updates of information leading to structural understanding based on the humanities (social sciences, historical research, empirical data). A forum for dialogue and knowledge sharing with representatives from other companies across industries. Participation in workshops for verbalization and structural understanding. Opportunities to participate in events for disseminating initiatives to society. [COTEN's Role] Verbalizing and Connecting Structures Through "Humanities" COTEN's role is to verbalize invisible social structures, starting from humanities such as sociology, history, and philosophy. In this consortium as well, COTEN will act as a partner, helping to reframe the discrepancies felt by participants in their daily work into reproducible structures and supporting how each company's initiatives can connect with each other. [Future Development] A kickoff is scheduled for September 2026, with bi-monthly structural understanding sessions, cross-industry dialogues, and annual outcome sharing planned. In the medium to long term, it will function as a pipeline to connect companies that wish to commit more deeply to Co-Lab from among the participating companies. Please contact us for details regarding participation fees and requirements. [Comment from COTEN CEO Ryunosuke Fukai] "The gender gap is not 'a problem of one company' but 'a structural problem of the labor market.' Through approximately four years of research, we have seen that no matter how advanced a company is in changing its systems alone, its effects will be limited unless the larger structures of the hiring market and industry practices change. Therefore, there is hope only in solidarity among companies that understand the structure. I am convinced of this. This consortium is a place to meet peers who share that paradigm shift. We hope to delve deeply into implementation with companies that are serious about changing the structure of Japan's labor market." [Contact Information] COTEN Inc. Consortium Secretariat (Inquiry URL: https://coten-gender-inclusive.channel.io) Company Name: COTEN Inc. Established: February 2016 Representative: Representative Director Ryunosuke Fukai Headquarters Location: Fukuoka Growth Next, 2-6-11 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture URL: https://coten.co.jp/ Purpose: To be a bridge between humanities and society. Business Activities: Production and distribution of the podcast "COTEN RADIO: Learning History in an Interesting Way." Research and development of a world history database. Provision of humanities-based training programs for corporations. Support for establishing humanities research institutes for corporations. Operation of a corporate alliance for social change (Co-Lab) and a corporate community (Gender Inclusive Consortium). 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