SPICE is thrilled to announce the launch of its newest online program for high school students, Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. (SeEU). SeEU invites high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from all over the United States to apply to its inaugural class.  

Thanks to generous donor support, the inaugural class of Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. will be offered free of charge to students.

The course will be offered through the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). Its instructor, Dr. Makiko Hirata, has also served as instructor of a similar course—Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ)—for several years, but she considers this new course somewhat differently. “We must appreciate the different contexts from which U.S. students consider social issues,” Hirata notes. “In addition, the world we live in today is quite different from what it was when SeEJ launched in 2020, and it continues to change rapidly. I want this course to empower students with agility and confidence to address pressing global and local challenges.”  

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. will challenge high school students to unleash their creativity and design original solutions to real-world problems. In this hands-on, student-centered course, students will explore who they are, identify what drives them and why, and experiment with ideas that matter to them. Engaging with scholars and experts from Stanford University, Silicon Valley and beyond, the participants will work with peers to think with imagination, empathy, and strategy.

Students who successfully complete the course will earn Stanford Continuing Studies credit and a Certificate of Completion from SPICE.  

SPICE is currently accepting applications. Interested students should apply at https://forms.gle/DyyeN4crdUsV4hQK8. The application deadline is September 29, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. 

For more information, please visit https://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/fellowship/stanford-e-entrepreneurship-us or email Dr. Makiko Hirata at mhirata@stanford.edu.

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I have two names. At school, my friends would call me over saying, “Hey Claire!” At home, I was “윤아야” or “Yuna,” my Korean name. I used to joke as a child that there were two separate versions of myself and I would “switch” between the two, going from Claire to Yuna and back again. As I grew older, I started hearing terms such as “Korean American,” “Asian American,” and gyopo (someone with Korean heritage but born outside of Korea). All of these labels sent my mind spiraling. I had always been either Claire or Yuna, so I had no idea how the two could coexist together.

Amidst this confusion, I applied for the Sejong Korea Scholars Program to explore my heritage and the country I’ve had such a complex relationship with. Each unit, my classmates and I analyzed textbook excerpts to news articles, sharing our thoughts through written assignments and discussion boards. We concluded with an end-of-unit virtual classroom, featuring expert historians and professors who generously shared their knowledge.

Spanning from the Joseon dynasty to post-colonial Korea to the Hallyu wave, this course took me on a journey throughout all chapters of Korean history. From the colonial independence movement to the post-war democratization protests, I continued to be in awe of the sheer grit and courage of the Korean people. As we delved deeper into modern Korean society by examining topics of education and nationalism, I was also able to contextualize my upbringing and the complexities of my Korean American identity.

Furthermore, the curriculum allowed us the freedom to lead our own learning. For my final paper, I analyzed the impacts of online feminist societies and gender violence on the prevalence of gender animosity in modern-day Korea. Taking this unique opportunity to explore my personal interests further fueled my passion for modern Korean history, social movements, as well as the ways the oppressed fight for a voice.

I would like to deeply thank Dr. HyoJung Jang for being an invaluable mentor throughout this course with her incredible expertise and dedication to learning for learning’s sake. I would also like to credit my talented classmates who inspired me with their insights and always pushed me to view the world from different perspectives.

This course challenged me in countless ways: as a learner, a Korean American, and a person. SKSP is a unique opportunity to learn with rigorous coursework and top-tier resources while exploring one’s own academic interests. I genuinely encourage students to apply, no matter their background, as anyone with a passion for knowledge will be wholeheartedly welcomed and rewarded.

SKSP has been pivotal in discovering my passion for East Asian and Korean studies, one that I wish to pursue both personally and in higher education. In terms of my personal journey, I am still navigating the complexities of my identity and will continue to do so throughout my life. But my SKSP experience has truly opened my eyes to all facets of my identity and their complex intersections. I know now that Claire and Yuna were never two separate people nor two separate parts of me. Rather, they are the ones who make each other whole. 

SKSP is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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I have always wished to learn more about Korea. Since I am only half Korean, my grandparents’ stories of Seoul made up the extent of my knowledge for much of my childhood. As I grew up and began to slot together my identity in a patchwork of personality and truths, my Korean identity simply did not fit. I could barely stomach the spice of bibimmyeon, my mother’s favorite Korean noodle dish. Wearing hanboks, the traditional Korean dress, never gave me the elegance my cousins seemed to embody. Speaking Korean didn’t come to me as easily as it did for my sister. What I did have were my grandparents’ firsthand stories, with rich history peeking through childhood anecdotes and accounts of war. Korean history always felt quite accessible to me, even if it didn’t make me feel Korean enough.

Accordingly, getting to participate in the Sejong Korea Scholars Program was a dream come true for me. I sensed that it would be a unique and incredible opportunity, and that perception was immediately confirmed by the first introductory meeting on Zoom. If anything, the online format made the focus of the program even clearer, and each virtual classroom felt just as grounded as any in-person class I’ve experienced.

It was especially exciting to be surrounded by 18 other like-minded and talented peers. We were all in pursuit of the same learning, the same deep dive into Korean history—and many were in the program for reasons similar to mine. There was a deep affinity for culture in the group, and not just for Korean culture. With so many Korean Americans in the group, it was fun to post or comment about our connections to Korea, and just as exciting to learn about Korean Americans from esteemed Professor Kyeyoung Park, who graciously answered all of our questions. I also must commend the students who weren’t Korean and simply were excited about Korean history; their passion was always quite inspiring.

Above all, what made SKSP so special was the historiography, which had long been a personal area of interest. Dr. HyoJung Jang, our extraordinary instructor, curated a diverse assortment of sources each week, ranging from U.S. government documents to articles to contemporary qualitative experiments. In between each virtual classroom, I pored over several sources, and reflected on the way they interacted with each other. As I worked on our biweekly writing assignment, I found myself making multiple connections for each source and forming my own mini arguments in the paragraphs. By the time we got to each lecture, I had stewed on my ideas long enough to get quite excited about the questions I wanted to ask.

Each lecturer gave a spectacular presentation and was quite generous with their time. In particular, I’ll highlight Professor Gi-Wook Shin and Professor Nancy Abelmann, who taught us about different facets of contemporary Korean society: nationalism and the education system, respectively. Their talks were grounded in Korean norms of filial piety, respect, and also patriarchal systems, a topic I intended to write my paper about.

At the time, however, my paper topic was, quite frankly, a mess. I knew I wanted to involve pop culture somehow into my discussion of ingrained misogyny in Korean society, but had written some incredibly vague topic proposal about sexist dating norms present in music and TV shows. Luckily, Dr. Jang gave some much-needed feedback about the large scope of my proposal. In the process of reading through academic papers around sexism, I came across digital feminist movements, and decided that the accessibility and weaponization of the internet was going to be my new focus. Of all the incredible experiences in the program, I think I’ll always remember writing my paper, how Dr. Jang was an especially important personal mentor, and the overwhelming feeling (as I was writing) that I was connected to my culture, somehow.

When I think back to the way I worried over my lack of a connection to Korea at the beginning of the year, I find my concerns a bit silly now. I now know that I have always been connected to my heritage through my history. Even if that didn’t feel like it was enough before, my scholarship and pursuit of Korean history through SKSP have now proven that to me. I will forever remember this program as a place where my writing became true to myself, and went beyond what I ever could have imagined. To all interested students, I urge you to apply without inhibition. You will surely find something you didn’t know you needed—whether it’s a reassurance about your culture, a reignited passion, or simply growth—in the Sejong Korea Scholars Program. 

SKSP is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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The fifth year of the Stanford/SPICE East Asia Seminars for Teachers in Hawaiʻi (“Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i”) was launched in April 2025 and included four online seminars that featured Stanford-affiliated scholars—Professor Ethan Segal, Professor Andrew Walder, PhD candidate Zoë Gioja, and Ambassador Scot Marciel—and culminated in a three-day in-person summer institute that took place from July 12 to 14, 2025 at the Hawai‘i Imin International Conference Center at Jefferson Hall, East-West Center. This year’s cohort included 19 public and private high school teachers—Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellows—from across Hawai‘i. Below are the names of the 2025 Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellows, their schools, and the islands where their schools are located:

Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i Manager Rylan Sekiguchi invited scholars from Hawai‘i as well as curriculum writers and facilitators of teacher professional development to offer presentations over the course of the institute. They are listed below as well as the titles of their presentations. The presentation topics were selected to support Hawai‘i State Department of Education standards such as “U.S. History and Government Theme 1 (Immigration and Migration, 1880–1930), Anchor Standard 16 (Global Interconnections and Changing Spatial Patterns): Cause and Effects of Migration.”

• Shana Brown, Associate Professor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, “U.S.–China Relations: Problems and Potential”
• Douglas D. L. Chong, President of the Hawaii Chinese History Center, “The Chinese Diaspora in Hawai‘i”
• Jonas Edman, Instructional Designer, SPICE, “SPICE Curricula on Chinese American History”
• Naomi Funahashi, Manager, Reischauer Scholars Program and Teacher Professional Development, SPICE, “Teaching Contemporary Korea with SPICE”
• Merle Grybowski, Director of Teacher Training, Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, “East-West Center Walkabout”
• Patricia Halagao, Professor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, “Teaching Filipino Identity, History, and Resistance”
• Ken K. Ito, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, “Nakashima Naoto’s ‘Waiawa Station’ (1934) as Diasporic Fiction”
• C. Harrison Kim, Associate Professor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, “Korea in the 20th Century: Colonialism, North/South Division, Futures”
• Jonathan Okamura, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, “East Asians and Southeast Asians in Unequal Hawai‘i”
• Rylan Sekiguchi, Manager of Curriculum and Instructional Design, SPICE, “Divided Memories: Comparing History Textbooks”
   

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Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i is made possible by a generous grant from the Freeman Foundation. President Graeme Freeman (photo above) spoke during the summer institute about the Freeman Foundation’s mission of helping to enhance the teaching of East Asia through programs such as the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia and Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi and expressed his gratitude to the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellows for the tremendous impact their learning has on their students. Graeme was joined by Vice President Shereen Goto, Executive Assistant Sandra Lee, and Foundation Assistant Kellie Matsudaira of the Freeman Foundation. Additional support for the summer institute was kindly provided by Stanford Global Studies and the Stanford Center for East Asian Studies through the U.S. Department of Education National Resource Center funding under the auspices of Title VI, Section 602(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

As I observed the lectures, curriculum demonstrations, and listened to the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellows’ comments, questions, and resource sharing, I reflected on ways that SPICE has continued to serve as a bridge between Stanford University scholars and teachers in Hawai‘i since 1988 when SPICE founding director Dr. David Grossman established the Consortium for Teaching Asia and the Pacific in the Schools (CTAPS) at the East-West Center. During the institute, I shared thoughts on three Stanford scholars. Stanford scholar Lee Shulman is someone whom I mentioned to teachers at the second CTAPS summer institute that was held in 1989. Shulman is known for developing the concept of pedagogical content knowledge or PCK, which emphasizes that teachers need not only subject matter expertise but also pedagogical content knowledge. While listening to the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellows, their unique blend of subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge really shined. Second, during the institute, I could really feel the fellows’ embrace of the diversity of their students, the people in Hawai‘i, and beyond. I spoke about Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki, who has noted that empathy is an umbrella term that captures at least three ways that we connect with one another’s emotions. One is emotional empathy, which is vicariously sharing somebody else’s feelings. Cognitive empathy is one’s attempt to understand what someone else is feeling and why. And empathic concern or compassion is one’s motivation to improve others’ well-being. Third, Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu is a psychologist formerly with the University of Tokyo who now teaches at Stanford. His scholarship on heartfulness—elucidated in his book, From Mindfulness to Heartfulness: Transforming Self and Society with Compassion—notes that heartfulness is a way of living with mindfulness, compassion, and responsibility that enhances well-being and transformation. Sekiguchi noted that he certainly felt this heartfulness while interacting with the Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellows since April of this year.

In the month following the institute’s conclusion, each Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellow will create an original lesson plan that incorporates content that was introduced during Stanford SEAS Hawaiʻi. Sekiguchi awaits in anticipation of seeing how content from the seminar will reach hundreds of secondary school students throughout Hawai‘i.

Sekiguchi and Sabrina Ishimatsu, SPICE Event Coordinator, who organized the institute, and I are grateful to the East-West Center for allowing SPICE to host the Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i summer institute at its beautiful venue.

Most importantly, everyone at SPICE is immensely grateful to President Graeme Freeman, Vice President Shereen Goto, and the Freeman Foundation for its generosity in making Stanford SEAS Hawai‘i possible and providing us the opportunity to engage Stanford/Freeman SEAS Hawai‘i Fellows with scholars from Stanford University, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and beyond.

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Applications are now open for Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ), an online course conducted in English to foster Japanese students’ creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to address social issues. SeEJ is offered twice a year in the fall and spring through a collaboration between SPICE and the non-profit organization e-Entrepreneurship in Japan. It is open to Japanese-speaking students, in or from Japan, in their first and second years of high school. The fall 2025 course will be taught by Irene Bryant and will run from late October 2025 through February 2026.

The application form is now live at https://forms.gle/52f9U8okGxchtxE8A. The deadline to apply is September 5, 2025 at 23:59 Japan Time.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan offers students an opportunity to engage with scholars and entrepreneurs from Stanford University and beyond through live virtual classes, which are held twice a month on Sundays. The course will culminate in an individual research paper and final group projects. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion from SPICE and NPO e-Entrepreneurship.

Past students have credited SeEJ with not only expanding their knowledge about entrepreneurship, but also shifting their attitudes and mindset in how to look at problems. “What I really loved about this program is that it required constant innovative thinking, relatively free presentation topics, and more independent action,” reflects Shinnosuke Nakagawa, who completed the fall 2024 course. “This program made innovative thinking and design thinking my norm. I think this program helped me to develop thinking habits that will be very useful in the future.”

Fellow alum Shia Han agrees. “Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan gave me insight on topics I would otherwise never be able to learn about. From the mechanisms on how to think entrepreneurially to how various companies strive for social change, I gained valuable information on how I can work towards solving issues in the world. Hearing about how the guest lecturers and my peers in this program were actively taking action towards topics they were interested in motivated me to not be held back because of my age or abilities but to work towards contributing to causes I was passionate about.”

For more information about Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan, visit the program webpage. Interested high school students should apply online by September 5, 2025.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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SPICE continues to broaden its impact across Japan, recently launching the new Stanford e-Yamaguchi program. This addition joins the growing network of SPICE’s regional high school programs in Japan, which already includes Stanford e-Hiroshima, Stanford e-Kagoshima City, Stanford e-Kawasaki, Stanford e-Kobe, Stanford e-Oita, Stanford e-Tottori, Stanford e-Wakayama, and Stanford e-Fukuoka*.

These online courses are the result of partnerships between SPICE and local governments and schools in Japan. Designed to challenge students to think critically, the programs focus on global issues related to U.S. society, culture, and U.S.–Japan relations.

With the conclusion of the 2024–2025 academic year, each program has selected two standout students for their overall performance, including exceptional final research projects. These 16 honorees will present their work during several recognition ceremonies to be held at Stanford University in August 2025. Distinguished guests will include members of the Stanford community, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, and representatives from the Japanese community in the Bay Area.

The SPICE staff extends its warmest congratulations to the following student honorees for their remarkable academic performance.

Stanford e-Hiroshima (Instructor Rylan Sekiguchi)

Student Honoree: Haruka Morisako
School: Kamo High School

Student Honoree: Yura Sakamoto
School: Kure Mitsuta High School

Stanford e-Kagoshima City (Instructor Amy Cheng)

Student Honoree: Aoi Machida
School: Kagoshima Gyokuryu High School

Student Honoree: Yujiro Matsunaga
School: Kagoshima Gyokuryu High School

Stanford e-Kawasaki (Instructor Maiko Tamagawa Bacha)

Student Honoree: Yuka Nagasawa
School: Kawasaki High School

Student Honoree: Reimi Ito
School: Tachibana High School

Stanford e-Kobe (Instructor Alison Harsch)

Student Honoree: Karen Ito 
School: Kobe Municipal Fukiai High School

Student Honoree: Shoko Urakami
School: Kobe University Secondary School

Stanford e-Oita (Instructor Kasumi Yamashita)

Student Honoree: Yuri Kishida
School: Ajimu High School

Student Honoree: Yoka Okuda
School: Usa High School

Stanford e-Tottori (Instructor Jonas Edman)

Student Honoree: Maiko Koyama
School: Tottori Nishi High School

Student Honoree: Nobuki Tokukura
School: Seishokaichi High School

Stanford e-Wakayama (Instructor Makiko Hirata)

Student Honoree: Yuto Nishi
School: Kushimoto Koza High School

Student Honoree: Tomoka Kishigami
School: Kaichi High School

Stanford e-Yamaguchi (Instructor Mia Kimura)

Student Honoree: Asako Kaya
School: Iwakuni High School

Student Honoree: Miku Kuramura
School: Shimonoseki Nishi High School

SPICE applauds the curiosity, academic excellence, and global mindset of these students and looks forward to celebrating their achievements next month.

* Stanford e-Fukuoka ends later this summer so its honorees will be announced at a later date.

SPICE also offers online courses to U.S. high school students on Japan (Reischauer Scholars Program), China (China Scholars Program), and Korea (Sejong Korea Scholars Program), and online courses to Chinese high school students on the United States (Stanford e-China) and to Japanese high school students on the United States and U.S.–Japan relations (Stanford e-Japan) and on entrepreneurship (Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan).

To stay informed of news about Stanford e-Japan and SPICE’s other programs, join our email list and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

The following is a guest article written by Akiko Mizuno, who traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area with other graduate students from the University of Tokyo—under the leadership of Professor Hideto Fukudome—in January 2025. SPICE/Stanford collaborates closely with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo and met with the students during their visit to the Bay Area.     

As a student at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Education, I had an opportunity to travel to Stanford University to participate in a SPICE-supported intensive seminar at the end of January this year. What I learned during the week-long program far exceeded my expectations. I would like to share some of the highlights of my experience during my stay at Stanford University, but first I would very much like to express my appreciation to Dr. Hideto Fukudome of the University of Tokyo who led our group, and to Dr. Gary Mukai, Director of SPICE, who guided us throughout the special lecture series. My heartfelt thanks also go to all the lecturers who gave us such a heartwarming welcome and truly inspiring and eye-opening lectures.

There were many great things that impressed me through my participation in the SPICE-supported intensive seminar. One of the experiences that gave me a lasting impression was a morning walk through San Jose Japantown guided by Dr. Mukai. As we walked, he told us about his childhood growing up as a sansei (third-generation Japanese American) in the 1960s. As I kept listening to his stories, I was able to imagine the hardships he and his family must have gone through even though he told his stories without drama or hyperbole.

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At one street corner in Japantown, there was a long, horizontal granite monument. There, I saw big romaji characters carved in capital letters that read “GAMAN. KODOMO NO TAME NI,” which means, “Endure. For the sake of our children.” It suddenly dawned on me that years upon years of struggles that issei (first-generation Japanese immigrants) and nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans) endured so that their children could have a brighter future were expressed in just those 19 letters etched on the stone bench. To this day, I can still vividly recall those letters because they are now etched on my heart.

Another experience that left me with a strong impression was a lecture on design thinking by SPICE educational researcher Dr. Mariko Yang-Yoshihara. Before we left Japan, she had given us an assignment to watch a video about Dr. Ge Wang, professor in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University, and write about our reactions. The video included Dr. Wang’s talk and a demonstration of how he produces novel musical sounds using a computer and a bow-shaped metal. At first, they were so unfamiliar to me that I felt somewhat uncomfortable. “Is this considered music?,” was my initial reaction. However, when he played Bach on the Ocarina iPhone app he had invented, I could even say that it was soothing. Towards the end of the video, Dr. Wang also introduced us to a piece of music performed by the Stanford Laptop Orchestra, which he had founded. As I listened to their unconventional orchestra sound, I became even more relaxed and fascinated by the beautiful harmony they produced. I then realized that the whole point of this assignment was to gain a perspective on how we should not be close-minded and embrace new experiences. In her research, Dr. Yang-Yoshihara has introduced a trilogical mindset—think out of the box, give it a try, and fail forward—highlighting these as common attitudes shared by individuals thriving in STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) across diverse sectors today. By being introduced to Dr. Ge Wang’s endeavor and experiencing my own shift in how I appreciate music, I now see myself beginning to “think out of the box” and finding new experiences more enjoyable.

Dr. Mukai, a noted educator and compassionate person, was the very personification of his parents’ profound love and perseverance, and I learned from Dr. Yang-Yoshihara the importance of having an open mind to be innovative. Having had these valuable lessons, how could I stay the same as before? I am truly thankful that I can still grow even though I am no longer in my youth.

In March 2025, both Dr. Mukai and Dr. Yang-Yoshihara came to Japan and took some time to visit us at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Education. It was a big bonus for me to be able to see them again. I know I am fortunate to have had this extra opportunity to further exchange ideas and learn from them. I am looking forward to implementing the lessons learned through SPICE in my daily life. It was indeed a wonderful way to start a New Year.

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The following reflection is a guest post written by Millie Gan, a student in the Spring 2025 Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan Program. Millie recently launched Teenage Business Contest Japan, a platform for encouraging social entrepreneurship among teens.

I believe that ideas from young people can help solve some of the world’s toughest problems; the voices of students are more essential than ever.

My name is Millie Gan, and I am a high school senior in San Diego and a participant in the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan (SeEJ) program. I am a British national, born and raised in Tokyo. I’m bilingual in English and Japanese, and studying Spanish. My mother is a third-generation Korean-Japanese, and my father is originally from Hong Kong. Though I have no ethnic roots in Japan, living there allowed me to appreciate and respect its people, traditions, and local diversity. 

When I moved to the U.S. three years ago, I was surprised by the number of questions asked by peers and teachers about Japan’s rural challenges, such as its aging population, shrinking towns, and what people were doing to help. I realized how giving younger people a voice can raise awareness of these urgent issues. That is why I created Teenage Business Contest Japan (TBCJ), a national contest that invites high school students across Japan to identify issues in rural areas and propose business solutions, all in English. The top 10 finalists will pitch their ideas live to judges from large corporations and academia. I had the drive to make TBCJ work, but SeEJ helped me execute that drive into action, giving me the mindset and community to take the project further than I could have alone.

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SeEJ gave me a deeper understanding of what it means to lead with purpose and empathy. For example, Dr. Rie Kijima’s session on design thinking taught me how to think from the perspective of those directly impacted. Dr. Damon Horowitz’s lessons on ethical entrepreneurship helped me reflect on why I started this journey. Ms. Megan Carroll’s insights into the nonprofit sector inspired me to treat TBCJ as a mission-driven platform, not just a contest. In one of our first VC sessions, I was partnered with another student for an exercise on creative problem-solving. My partner chose Japan’s aging society and spoke passionately about the need to amplify student voices. At that moment, I remember thinking, “That is exactly what TBCJ is about.” That moment reminded me that while our concerns are local, our hopes are widely shared.

These lessons transformed how I approached leadership as I began to see every obstacle as a lesson. As I worked to grow TBCJ, I started to think more like an entrepreneur: solving problems while learning from them, adjusting my strategies, and staying true to my original mission.

One of the first things I had to figure out was securing sponsorship. I reached out to dozens of companies focused on education and regional revitalization. After many emails and meetings, I was fortunate to secure seven sponsors and raise over ¥3 million. This funding allowed us to provide prizes for the contest and recognize the efforts of students working to help the community.

Reaching students was another major challenge. Japan has nearly 4,800 high schools, but only 150 have strong English or international programs. I directly contacted the 100 schools that had available email addresses. At first, there was silence, and I remember refreshing my inbox, getting more and more frustrated each day, hoping for a reply. But slowly, after a few weeks, a few schools and their students began responding and signing up. That small breakthrough reminded me how wide the access gap truly is. Only around 17% of Japanese citizens hold a valid passport, compared to around 50% in the U.S., which shows how few Japanese students get global exposure. It made me even more determined to connect local youth with global perspectives and to use English as a bridge to opportunity.

The most difficult challenge was gaining official recognition. I applied to multiple Japanese Government offices for endorsement, but most declined due to government policies and TBCJ’s short history. Thankfully, the Cabinet Office met with me and offered support through their regional revitalization team. Soon after, the University of Tokyo’s Innovation Platform Co., Ltd. (IPC) offered its endorsement and created a new “UTokyo IPC Special Innovation Prize” for the contest.

Through this experience, and with the support of SeEJ, I have learned that we don’t have to wait to make a difference. Entrepreneurship isn’t necessarily about launching companies, but about identifying problems and solving them with purpose. I hope to continue expanding TBC Japan and encouraging more students to take initiative, because I truly believe that ideas from young people are what can solve these challenges. It’s our future, and it is up to us to protect and improve it.

If you’re passionate about solving real-world problems, I highly recommend the Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan Program.

Sign up now to participate in TBCJ.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan will start accepting applications for fall 2025 in August.

Stanford e-Entrepreneurship Japan is one of several online courses offered by SPICE.

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