Japan Women's University Conducts Entrepreneurship Experience Class for High School Girls: A Practical Workshop to Experience the Learning of the "Faculty of Economics (Provisional Name)"

　Japan Women's University (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Satoko Shinohara) held a special class titled "First Entrepreneurship Workshop for High School Students Learning from Women Entrepreneurs" on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Approximately 30 second-year high school students, primarily those interested in advancing to the "Faculty of Economics (Provisional Name)," which is planned to open in April 2027, participated. They experienced everything from discovering familiar problems to considering solutions and presenting them, all while exchanging ideas with fellow participants.

　In the special class, Ms. Ai Aoki, Representative Director and CEO of Virina Japan Co., Ltd., who was appointed specially invited professor of the "Faculty of Economics (Provisional Name)" on April 1, 2026, was invited as a lecturer. She gave a lecture on her motivations for starting a business, challenges she faced as a woman, and the lessons and possibilities she gained by aspiring to be a leader. In the subsequent workshop, based on Ms. Aoki's statement that "ideas are born from 'empathy' for someone's troubles or discomfort, and delivering inspiration beyond that leads to entrepreneurship," participants discussed problems they empathized with, using "what troubles their parents (close people)" as the theme. Furthermore, they experienced the process of proposing a business, including pricing and revenue mechanisms. Through this opportunity to gain a hands-on feel for business acumen, participants deepened their interest in the learning offered by the Faculty of Economics (Provisional Name).

■ Ideas Born from the Workshop and Participants' Voices

　In the presentations held in the latter half of the workshop, many ideas sprang from the flexible thinking unique to high school students. For example, from the concern that "children don't listen to their parents," a service called "ConePair" was proposed—an app that visualizes agreements between parents and children and allows progress to be shared with stamps.

　Participants' comments included: "I realized that there are opportunities for entrepreneurship everywhere around us, and that realizing them requires considering even more detailed conditions," and "I used to think that it would be impossible for students to start a business or materialize an idea, but I now feel that students can achieve it if they have an idea and empathy from those around them."

　When choosing a career path, "learning that is useful in society" and "learning that leads to a career" are emphasized, and interest in learning connected to real society is growing. Against this background, the university is advancing the concept of a "Faculty of Economics (Provisional Name)," which will focus on data analysis skills, the ability to proactively design diverse life careers, and entrepreneurship to carve out one's future.　　　

　Moving forward, the university will continue to promote initiatives to communicate the significance of studying economics and to deepen interest and understanding of studying economics at a women's university, in preparation for the opening of the "Faculty of Economics (Provisional Name)."

■ About the Faculty of Economics (Provisional Name)

　Students will be able to learn economics and business administration broadly and systematically, from theory to application and practice. They will acquire entrepreneurship to flexibly and positively carve out their careers in any era or environment, essential data analysis skills for surviving in modern society, and the ability for women to design diverse life careers. In addition, the faculty will offer small-group seminar classes leveraging its compact structure of 99 students per academic year, as well as opportunities for practical learning outside the university.

　The new faculty aims to foster individuals who can leverage their specialized knowledge in economics, challenge themselves with logical thinking, analytical skills, organizational management skills, and entrepreneurship, and proactively and creatively contribute to the creation of a sustainable society and the realization of well-being.

Faculty of Economics Special Site:https://www3.jwu.ac.jp/fc/public/unv/economics/

※The establishment plan is tentative, and content may change.

Please download the press release material from the link below.

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