[Event Report] New Project "EduChallenge" Kicks Off! (Held on March 17, 2026)

Eduship Inc. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Sojiro Sato) held a kick-off event on March 17, 2026, for "EduChallenge," a new project to connect the power of private companies with solutions for challenges in the educational field.

On the day of the event, representatives from private companies interested in solving issues at schools (approximately 80 people from 40 companies) gathered. Enthusiastic discussions were held about the real challenges facing schools, such as labor and budget shortages, and a new form of co-creation using the assets of the school teaching materials industry as a platform to solve them.

■ Event Overview

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026

<Program>
Part 1: New Project "EduChallenge" Kick-off

Part 2: Panel Discussion "On Co-creation between Schools and Private Companies"

<Speakers>

Sojiro Sato (EduChallenge Executive Committee Chairman / President & CEO, Eduship Inc.)

Mr. Motoyasu Shimpo (Former Elementary School Principal in Hokkaido / Chairman, NPO Hokkaido Learning Promotion Forum)

Ms. Miyuki Iwahori (Former Elementary School Teacher in Fukui Prefecture / Representative, General Incorporated Association Children's Smile)

Ms. Saori Nakajima (Public Relations Office, Marketing Division, Dole Corporation)

■ Part 1: Creating a system where the school teaching materials industry acts as a "connector" to support educational sites with the power of the private sector

Sojiro Sato, Chairman of the EduChallenge Executive Committee, pointed out that the current situation in public schools is an "additive structure" where new tasks are piled on top of limited personnel and budgets. He warned that many elementary and junior high schools in Japan are facing this structural problem.

EduChallenge is managed by Eduship Inc., a company established in partnership with Kyoiku Dojinsha Co., Ltd., which has a history of over 90 years as the first company to create school teaching materials in Japan. The project uses the infrastructure of the school teaching materials industry (such as its network with schools and boards of education, and its logistics functions specialized for schools) as a platform...