After School NPO to Hold Municipal Forum on Diversified Learning and the Future of Children’s Places to Belong on May 27

After School NPO Afterschool, a specified nonprofit corporation headed by Representative Director Kuniyasu Hiraiwa and based in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, will hold an online event on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, titled “Municipal Forum 2026: Diversifying Learning and the Future of Children’s Places to Belong: Practical Cases Created Through Schools and After-School Programs.” The forum is intended primarily for municipal officials responsible for creating local places for children and for school education. The organization is also inviting members of the media to view the forum, as it may serve as a useful reference for coverage of children’s after-school places and education. Those who wish only to view the event should apply through the event registration form by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. For inquiries related to the forum or coverage, including requests for images of initiatives by participating municipalities or interview coordination, the public relations contact at After School NPO Afterschool will consider and respond according to the request. Such inquiries will be accepted until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. The event will be held on Zoom from 10:15 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, and participation is free of charge. The program will include opening remarks, presentations by officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Children and Families Agency, case studies from Itabashi City in Tokyo and Kibichuo Town in Okayama Prefecture, a panel discussion with the speakers, a Q&A session with participants, announcements, and closing remarks. The panel will be facilitated by Kuniyasu Hiraiwa, Representative Director of After School NPO Afterschool. The forum is being held against the backdrop of growing challenges in schools, including an increase in school refusal and a shortage of teachers and staff, while schools are also being asked to provide flexible forms of education that respond to diverse backgrounds and needs. Japan’s Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education, the country’s highest-level comprehensive education plan formulated by the government every five years under Article 17 of the Basic Act on Education, sets out two major concepts: “developing creators of a sustainable society” and “improving well-being rooted in Japanese society.” The organizer believes these goals are difficult to achieve within schools alone and require the support of local communities and society. It also believes that learning should not be confined to classroom hours, but should generate synergy through continuity with time outside school. At the same time, the creation of places where children can belong is becoming increasingly important across society. Beyond welfare considerations, the value of forms of learning different from school education is also being recognized. From the perspective of sustainability and other factors, the use of school facilities after school has been spreading and is being strongly promoted by the national government. However, while schools have great potential as environments that support children’s learning and development, their use and related collaboration often span multiple municipal departments, creating barriers to implementation in many regions. Municipalities have also raised many concerns about budgets, securing personnel, cooperation with local communities, and creating places where children can spend time independently. According to a pre-forum survey, municipal officials cited issues such as: demand for children’s places to belong is increasing despite the declining birthrate, but new places cannot be sufficiently expanded due to budget and facility constraints; municipalities are searching for educational environments suited to demographic decline; after-school childcare is available in school facilities, but there is no coordination with community-school collaboration activities; as children advance in grade level, many go to cram schools or extracurricular lessons, reducing opportunities to interact with the local community; municipalities cannot grasp safety management needs when creating places in schools after hours, nor the needs of children who refuse school or have no place to belong at school or at home; and education boards do not provide sufficient understanding or cooperation in creating children’s places to belong, with the “After-School Child Measures Package” failing to resonate even when shared. In response to these voices, After School NPO Afterschool has organized this forum together with Itabashi City in Tokyo and Kibichuo Town in Okayama Prefecture, which are working on advanced initiatives, as well as officials in charge of place-to-belong policies at the Children and Families Agency and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In addition to presentations by each speaker, the latter half of the event will feature a cross-talk discussion on collaboration between education and welfare and the use of schools, from the perspectives and roles of the different participants. The forum aims to listen to participants’ voices and build collective knowledge for communities that support children’s learning and growth. In June, the organizer also plans to hold an in-person study session in Osaka as a spin-off project for municipal officials who want to learn more about practical examples from various municipalities, ask questions directly to those in charge, and exchange views. The session is scheduled for Thursday, June 25. After School NPO Afterschool operates under the mission “Turn after-school time across Japan into golden time.” Incorporated in 2009, the organization runs “Afterschool” programs that use school facilities as safe and enriching after-school places for children across Japan. It focuses on creating environments where children can spend time independently. In cooperation with companies and municipalities, it also supports environmental improvements and human resource development at after-school places nationwide and works to create experiential opportunities. Together with many supporters, the organization continues to accelerate efforts to protect and nurture children across society and to pursue richer after-school experiences for children.