[KID2026 Kyocera Award Winner] NIJIN Tackles the Era of 350,000 Non-Attending Students, Aiming for 'Next-Generation Education Co-creation' with Over 50 Companies and Municipalities from Kanagawa

Group photo of speakers and judges at the KID2026 pitch contest 'KID Startup Pitch - The Battlefield of Challengers'. Center right: Governor Yuji Kuroiwa of Kanagawa Prefecture. Front center left: Takashi Isa, Corporate and Municipal Co-creation Manager at NIJIN Inc. (THE LIVE Supported by Daiwa Real Estate)

NIJIN Inc., which operates Japan's largest K-9 integrated alternative school 'NIJIN Academy,' is pleased to announce that Takashi Isa, Corporate and Municipal Co-creation Manager, presented at the pitch contest of 'Kanagawa Innovators Day 2026 (KID2026),' Kanagawa Prefecture's largest innovation summit held on March 24, 2026, and received the 'Kyocera Award.' Leveraging this award, we will commence concrete discussions for collaboration with over 50 companies, municipalities, and educational institutions that have already expressed interest. We aim to expand this new educational option nationwide, where children can directly connect with society through the establishment of 'in-company classrooms' and 'in-university classrooms' that create touchpoints with companies from elementary and junior high school, thereby dispelling concerns about future labor shortages faced by large corporations, and through partnerships with local governments. ■ Pitch Content ■ Record 350,000 Non-Attending Students. The 'Education Model,' Not the Children, Needs to Change Currently, the number of elementary and junior high school students in Japan who do not attend school has reached a record high of 350,000. Many children who struggle with 'not fitting into school' tend to have lowered self-esteem and lose hope for life. We believe that to solve this issue, it is the 'education model' that needs to change, not the 'children.' NIJIN Academy, as a hybrid school combining online (metaverse) and real-world experiences, provides a next-generation learning environment that makes public education 'portable,' based on diversity, autonomy, and choice.

Takashi Isa, Corporate and Municipal Co-creation Manager, speaking about his passion for solving social issues and his vision for educational co-creation.

Deciding Factor for the Kyocera Award: Passion for Solving Social Issues and Creating 'Win-Win' Value with Companies What was highly evaluated in this award was our overwhelming passion for solving social issues and our business model that simultaneously addresses the future concerns of large corporations (such as labor shortages). Creating touchpoints with companies from elementary and junior high school not only provides children with opportunities to learn about the 'living society' but also serves as an investment for companies to nurture future innovators. This mechanism for creating Win-Win value through 'Education x Corporations' was a major deciding factor for this award. ■ Collaboration Plan with Over 50 Institutions: Opening In-Company and In-University Classrooms and Municipal Partnerships Through this pitch presentation, we have received collaboration proposals from over 50 companies, universities, and municipalities, primarily in Kanagawa Prefecture. Specifically, the following projects are underway and being promoted: