[Produced by a 15-year-old entrepreneur] The protagonists are 'children who create the next generation'. Two days where Earth's heroes gather. 'THE HERO SUMMIT 2026' to be held in Aichi in December 2026!
Meta Heroes Co., Ltd. announces that 'THE HERO SUMMIT 2026,' an experiential summit produced by 15-year-old entrepreneur Nikoru Kondo, will be held in December 2026 at STATION Ai in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The event aims to provide opportunities for children to take on challenges through a fusion of social issue resolution and entertainment.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 23:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 14, 2026 at 14:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 16:13 (121h 42m after Collected)
Meta Heroes Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka, Osaka Prefecture; Representative Director: Kazutoshi Matsuishi) announces that it will hold "THE HERO SUMMIT 2026 (Hirosumi)," an experiential summit combining social issue resolution and entertainment, for two days on Saturday, December 19th and Sunday, December 20th, 2026, at "STATION Ai," Japan's largest open innovation hub located in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.
This summit is an event planned and organized by 15-year-old entrepreneur Nikoru Kondo, who participated in "THE HERO SUMMIT (HERO EXPO)" hosted by our company at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, serving as the general producer. Ms. Kondo currently also serves as the producer of "Hero Egg," a DX education facility operated by our company, and has been involved in creating opportunities for many children to take on challenges.
During the Osaka-Kansai Expo, her experience of feeling frustrated by the gap between ideals and reality while partially producing an event became the origin of this summit concept. Based on that experience, to create "a place for challenges that she truly wants to realize," she decided to hold this event in Aichi, her origin, and at "STATION Ai," Japan's largest startup support hub, which was the catalyst for her entrepreneurship.
■ Children who create the next generation are the protagonists!
We will create opportunities for children to encounter new values and possibilities, and find goals they want to "try" and "become." Furthermore, the planning within the summit itself will be conceived and designed primarily by children, and realized through co-creation with adults and companies. This provides an opportunity to step from "experiencing" to "creating."
■ Introduction of General Producer
President and CEO of EdFusion Co., Ltd.
Nikoru Kondo / KONDO NIKORU (15 years old)
・Established individual business "EdFusion" at age 13
・Received Special Award in the STAPS student entrepreneur training program organized by Aichi Prefecture (operated by STATION Ai)
・Delivered 104 lectures in 2025
・Producer for Osaka-Kansai Expo related events
・Received Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award in a contest organized by the Japan Junior Chamber
・Selected as one of Forbes JAPAN's "30 Women Changing the World in Technology"
Company HP: https://ed-fusion.co.jp
【Message from the General Producer】
Last year, I was given the opportunity to take on a challenge on the grand stage of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Next, based on that experience, I will create a new place for challenges in my hometown, Aichi.
Hirosumi is a place that creates opportunities for children to encounter social issues, think about them as their own, and take action. From Osaka to Aichi, Kobe, and then nationwide.
We will create a flow where challenges continue to emerge in various regions, and further expand it globally.
This initiative will also be developed as a continuous project towards the 2030 Riyadh Expo, as declared at last year's Expo. This summit aims to be a place that encourages the next generation's challenges.
■ Background of the Event
・Challenges don't start without goals
In the world of sports, there are "clear goals" like Koshien and the Olympics that everyone earnestly aims for and that excite those around them. However, in important areas that create the future, such as AI, entrepreneurship, global issues, SDGs, and well-being, there is a significant lack of stages where children can receive applause and compete fiercely like athletes. Without a peak to aim for, the passion for challenges will not last.
・Children of today will be at the center of the era in 5 or 10 years
Modern society faces "an era without clear answers," such as climate change and regional disparities.
The era of simply cramming knowledge and academic ability is over; the ability to proactively think "what do I want to become" and "what is society demanding now" will be the weapon for the future. The protagonists of the era in 5 or 10 years will be today's teenagers and children. That is why the experience of perceiving social issues as "their own" is indispensable.
At this event, top runners from various fields such as e-sports, technology, science, and influencers will gather. We will deliver content that connects children with society in an exciting way, allowing them to experience the fun of "worlds they don't yet know." The moment their curiosity for the unknown world is stimulated and their thinking is updated is the biggest highlight.
■ Highlights of this event
The features of this summit are the following three points:
Meet heroes you can't usually meet
This summit is an event planned and organized by 15-year-old entrepreneur Nikoru Kondo, who participated in "THE HERO SUMMIT (HERO EXPO)" hosted by our company at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, serving as the general producer. Ms. Kondo currently also serves as the producer of "Hero Egg," a DX education facility operated by our company, and has been involved in creating opportunities for many children to take on challenges.
During the Osaka-Kansai Expo, her experience of feeling frustrated by the gap between ideals and reality while partially producing an event became the origin of this summit concept. Based on that experience, to create "a place for challenges that she truly wants to realize," she decided to hold this event in Aichi, her origin, and at "STATION Ai," Japan's largest startup support hub, which was the catalyst for her entrepreneurship.
■ Children who create the next generation are the protagonists!
We will create opportunities for children to encounter new values and possibilities, and find goals they want to "try" and "become." Furthermore, the planning within the summit itself will be conceived and designed primarily by children, and realized through co-creation with adults and companies. This provides an opportunity to step from "experiencing" to "creating."
■ Introduction of General Producer
President and CEO of EdFusion Co., Ltd.
Nikoru Kondo / KONDO NIKORU (15 years old)
・Established individual business "EdFusion" at age 13
・Received Special Award in the STAPS student entrepreneur training program organized by Aichi Prefecture (operated by STATION Ai)
・Delivered 104 lectures in 2025
・Producer for Osaka-Kansai Expo related events
・Received Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award in a contest organized by the Japan Junior Chamber
・Selected as one of Forbes JAPAN's "30 Women Changing the World in Technology"
Company HP: https://ed-fusion.co.jp
【Message from the General Producer】
Last year, I was given the opportunity to take on a challenge on the grand stage of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Next, based on that experience, I will create a new place for challenges in my hometown, Aichi.
Hirosumi is a place that creates opportunities for children to encounter social issues, think about them as their own, and take action. From Osaka to Aichi, Kobe, and then nationwide.
We will create a flow where challenges continue to emerge in various regions, and further expand it globally.
This initiative will also be developed as a continuous project towards the 2030 Riyadh Expo, as declared at last year's Expo. This summit aims to be a place that encourages the next generation's challenges.
■ Background of the Event
・Challenges don't start without goals
In the world of sports, there are "clear goals" like Koshien and the Olympics that everyone earnestly aims for and that excite those around them. However, in important areas that create the future, such as AI, entrepreneurship, global issues, SDGs, and well-being, there is a significant lack of stages where children can receive applause and compete fiercely like athletes. Without a peak to aim for, the passion for challenges will not last.
・Children of today will be at the center of the era in 5 or 10 years
Modern society faces "an era without clear answers," such as climate change and regional disparities.
The era of simply cramming knowledge and academic ability is over; the ability to proactively think "what do I want to become" and "what is society demanding now" will be the weapon for the future. The protagonists of the era in 5 or 10 years will be today's teenagers and children. That is why the experience of perceiving social issues as "their own" is indispensable.
At this event, top runners from various fields such as e-sports, technology, science, and influencers will gather. We will deliver content that connects children with society in an exciting way, allowing them to experience the fun of "worlds they don't yet know." The moment their curiosity for the unknown world is stimulated and their thinking is updated is the biggest highlight.
■ Highlights of this event
The features of this summit are the following three points:
Meet heroes you can't usually meet