Luxury Guests Appear! "New" Principal Kazuki Yao, Dean Rika Matsumoto, ≒JOY, and Others Send Cheers to New Students at the 2026 Entrance Ceremony

Yoyogi Animation Academy Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Taro Ito) held its 2026 entrance ceremonies at each of its schools on April 3, 2026.

At the joint entrance ceremony for the Tokyo and Ikebukuro campuses, held at Kanadevia Hall (formerly TOKYO DOME CITY HALL), luxury guests including Dean Rika Matsumoto and the idol group ≒JOY, alongside a video message from Principal Kazuki Yao, made an appearance. They delivered cheering messages to congratulate the new students aspiring to join the entertainment industry.

## Entrance Ceremony Program
[Principal's Address]
Principal Kazuki Yao

[Guest Congratulations]
Katsuya Shirai, Chairman of Hero's Inc.
Yasutaka Yamamoto, Animation Director (Alumni)
Marika Kouno, Voice Actress (Alumni)
Space Pirate Gorgeous (Alumni)
*In order of appearance

[Special Talk]
≒JOY: Aiyu Ichihara, Aimi Ozawa, Yuuka Murayama
Taro Ito, CEO of Yoyogi Animation Academy Inc. / =LOVE ≠ME ≒JOY Operation Manager

[Congratulatory Song]
Rika Matsumoto, Dean of Voice Actor & Entertainer Department

## From "Passion" to "Career Path": The Day the First Step Begins
New students aspiring to enter the entertainment industry—such as anime, voice acting, manga, and illustration—gather here with their respective dreams in their hearts.
The feelings they have held as a "passion" up until now will start moving forward as a "career path" from this day on.
It was a time when one could feel the anticipation for the days ahead, even amidst slightly nervous expressions.

## Looking Ahead to the "Work" Beyond Learning
During the ceremony, luxury guests delivered messages to the new students.

### [Principal's Address]
A video message was received from Kazuki Yao, who assumed the position of the new Principal in April.

<< Kazuki Yao Profile >>
Voice actor and actor. Major works include "ONE PIECE" (Franky, Bon Clay, Jango), "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ" (Judau Ashta), "Dancouga: Super Beast Machine God" (Shinobu Fujiwara), "Soreike! Anpanman" (Horrorman), and "Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor" (Kitami).

### [Special Talk]
From ≒JOY, Aiyu Ichihara, Aimi Ozawa, and Yuuka Murayama took the stage alongside Operation Manager Taro Ito, answering various questions in a segment titled "Tell the New Students! Talk About Work in the Entertainment Industry."

<< ≒JOY Profile >>
An idol group produced by Rino Sashihara, ≒JOY (Nearly Equal Joy).
The group name embodies Rino Sashihara's wish: "I want the members and the fans who support them to feel joy and become happy when they meet."

### [Congratulatory Song]
As a surprise at the end of the ceremony, Rika Matsumoto, Dean of the Voice Actor & Entertainer Department, made an appearance. As a cheer for the new students, she sang the theme song of a popular anime, "Mezase Pokémon Master" (Aim to Be a Pokémon Master).

The new students seemed to be envisioning their future selves while taking in every single word.

<< Rika Matsumoto Profile >>
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. With a father who led a theater company, she learned traditional Japanese dance, piano, and shamisen from a young age, and became active as an actor.
She sang the opening for the "Pokémon" anime series, recording double-million sales. She voiced the main character, Satoshi (Ash Ketchum), for 26 years. She has appeared in numerous masterpiece anime and foreign dramas, and is widely active as a singer, talent, and director.