“Global x Inclusive x Leadership ~ Shaping Passion & Ideas into plans: Creating New Values for Inclusive Community”
May 30 – June 1, 2025
Supported by Shimosuwa-cho, Honjin Iwanami House, Shimosuwa-cho, Meguru, Sunaba Shiojiri, Globalgiving
JSIE supports fostering global talent and offers global networking opportunities for all with an emphasis on helping women and minorities realize their greatest potential. Women’s Initiative for Sustainable Empowerment (WISE) program is to provide opportunities to shape our life mission and work toward social challenges.
- Date: May 30 – June 1, 2025 (2 nights 3 days)
- Venue: Shimosuwa
- Language: English (Japanese is plus)
- Registration: to be open soon
- Program Fee: 33,000 yen (shared room)
45,000 yen (single room, limited number of rooms) - Capacity: 30 people (First-come first-serve-basis)
2025 WISE Program aims to shape ideas into actionable project plans. Under the keywords “Global x Inclusive x Leadership,” we will work together to create an inclusive society where people from different background can maximize their potential. We all know that challenges we face everyday are closely connected to SDGs or social problems, that can turned into (social) business ideas. JSIE will provide opportunities to shape such ideas into plans through group work and to learn leadership styles to bring people in action. JSIE particularly focuses on the following points:
- Ability to Identify and define problem(s)
- Ability to present and explain your ideas to others
- Ability to negotiate, collaborate, and involve with others
- Ability to accept different values and be flexible
- Ability to play leadership and bring “the best outcome”
- You can join JSIE’s global community and meet with people with diverse backgrounds.
- You can get valuable advice and information from the mentors and peers that may help to shape your ideas into actual plans/projects.
- You can make friends who have similar passion, values, and goals towards social change and share these with them.
We invite any ideas that help us make our society better for the next generation. Please share your ideas/activities tackling social problems in the local/global community. For example,
- Ideas leading to end poverty and/or reduce social inequality
- ldeas leading to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being of women and children
- Ideas leading to equal access to quality education
- Ideas promoting inclusive communities and collaborative work by accepting talent from outside
- Ideas re-creating traditions from new & global perspective
- Applicants who are interested in the themes listed above (not limited to) and have own ideas.
(Please describe your ideas) - Applicants who are willing to support other people who have ideas.
(Please tell us your expertise, skills, and experience) - Applicants who are able to communicate with others in English.
- Application is open to all ages and nationalities
This program provides you opportunities to develop and shape ideas into practical plans. JSIE will award certificate to those who have outstanding project ideas. We have closed the applications. Please contact info@jsie.net for inquiries.
- Date: May 30 – June 1, 2025 (2 nights 3 days)
- Venue: Shimosuwa
- Program fee: include 2-night-stay, meals (except lunch on 31st), insurance, reception, supplies)
33,000 (room share), 45,000 yen (single room at separate venue) - Language:
→ English: be able to communicate in English (knowledge of Japanese a plus) - Registration opening soon
- Capacity:
→ 30 people (First-come first-serve-basis) - Donation Sponsor: US500$ (per participant)
Sponsoring ticket is for organization to secure a seat of participant & to get observing opportunity for sponsors. If the sponsor desires to invite specific individual, please let us know her/his name and contact info, so that we will directly invite her/him. Otherwise, JSIE will choose an appropriate candidate.
Please note that this ticket includes WISE Sponsor Award fee and an observer’s seat at final presentation and reception. However, transportation of the participant is not included, and hotel stay and transportation for the sponsor is not included. Please contact us if you have any questions at info@jsie.net
Known for bringing the best of Western and Japanese communications solutions, Shuri Fukunaga is regularly sought to speak on communications integral to organizations undergoing globalization and reputational issues. After heading J.P. Morgan’s Asia Pacific communications and then Nissan’s global communications, Ms Fukunaga returned in 2003 to Burson-Marsteller, a global communications agency. After serving as its Chief Executive Officer Japan from 2005 to 2019, she founded Persuade Incorporated, an executive communications consulting firm, in January 2020.
Mari is a sustainable finance expert with extensive background in inclusive business, sustainable finance, and entrepreneurship. Most recently, Mari founded the SDG Impact Japan to promote ESG and impact finance in Japan and Asia and serve as CoCEO. Before the SDG Impact Japan, She was the global head of diversity and human rights of the Fastretailing Group. Before FR, she led the establishment of the Asia Women Impact Fund, USD 100 million Impact Fund at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, with the objective to catalyze capital to improve the lives of women and remove gender barriers in Asia. Mari held various senior positions at the World Bank Group in Washington DC and Tokyo including the representative of the MIGA Tokyo. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Tokyo and an M.A. in Environment and Finance from The Fletcher School at Tufts University. She is an outside director of Mitsubishi Corporation and Terumo Corporation and . She also serves on many other government and public sector committees and as an ESG advisor to corporations.
Born and raised in Silicon Valley, California, Michael began his entrepreneurial career by owning and managing an elderly care facility, then moving on to Google where he worked in operations optimization at Google Shopping. Wanting more adventure, he left Silicon Valley and moved to Hollywood where he worked as a prop maker on blockbuster movies such as Transformers and X-men (Logan).
Having always been interested in living abroad, he decided to move to Japan in 2017 as an English teacher. Eager to return to tech, he learned to program and transitioned to working as a software engineer in fintech, then to product manager at a children’s programming educational company, and most recently as the manager of data analytics team at DMM.com on its Eikaiwa business.
After seeing the opportunity to make a positive impact on society and public health by connecting elderly and young people through IT, he left DMM and co-founded 株式会社nabe, which is building services to reduce the isolation of elderly, where he currently serves as CEO.
After graduating from Keele University (UK) in 2016, with a BA in Criminology with Japanese, Caitlin joined the JET Programme. She worked as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) and Vice Prefectural Advisor in Kumamoto City, Japan.
Through a strong interest in community involvement and service to others, she has held roles such as ALT project manager, international student peer mentor, volunteer at community justice centres & police stations, along with time as a police cadet. She is also an initiated member of the Chi Omega women’s fraternity (Chi Zeta chapter).
Caitlin won the best award at the Kumamoto WISE Special in 2019. With JSIE’s support, she has developed an app designed to detect abuse & neglect within Japanese school children and incorporated Kabushikikaisha Guardian in 2022.
Fumiko teaches International Relations Theory, East Asian Security, and other courses at Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University graduate schools. She also founded an NPO to support underprivileged children in Indonesia. She has a Ph.D. from SAIS, Johns Hopkins University.
Hiromi Murakami is the Founder and President of JSIE. Prior to founding JSIE, she’s involved in various policy projects in US/Japanese institutions, including Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Global Health Policy Center, the Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), and Economic Strategy Institute. Currently Murakami is also an adjunct fellow with the CSIS Global Health Policy Center and is a Visiting Fellow at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan. She holds a Ph.D. in international relations from School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Mayumi is a director for external relations at Japan Institute for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (JSIE.) She joined JSIE as one of the starting members in 2015. Previously, she worked as a program officer at the Tokyo Foundation, a policy think tank, where she was involved in program planning, management, and public relations, particularly for policy dialogue and international exchange programs. In the past, she has worked at Mitsui USA (New York), Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS, Washington, DC), and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS, Tokyo), where she supported executives and researchers. Mayumi is a graduate of the University of Leeds in UK.
Kanon is a WISE Fellow for 2023-2024 and a recipient of the WISE Leadership Award. She has actively participated in JSIE’s events, including the WISE program, where she developed a strong interest in its activities and management. She is currently a student at Sophia University.
May 30, 2025 (Friday)
15:00 – Registration & Check-in (Please check-in by 16:30)
17:00 Introduction, Self-introduction, Pitch & Grouping
19:00 Reception & Networking
*Voluntary group work may take place during the evening time.
May 31, 2025 (Saturday)
09:00 – Special Program at Honjin Iwanami House
10:15 ~ Group work
12:00 – Lunch (self-arrangement, soba noodles are famous!)
13:15 – Mentors’ introduction
13:45 – Mentor’s session
15:00 – Group work
17:30 – Sharing time — lessons and challenges
18:30 – Supper
*Voluntary group will work during the evening time.
June 1, 2025 (Sunday)
09:00 – Lecture
09:30 – Group work
12:00 – Lunch (bento box)
13:15 – Final Presentation
15:30 – Sharing time
15:45 – Award & Closing remarks, photo-taking
16:30 Adjourn
*Contents, schedule, and mentor/panelists are subject to change.
→ Participants should be able to discuss matters in English with other participants during group works. But some Japanese definitely helps.
→ No, transportation is not included. Everyone is required to stay at JSIE-designated place during the program, unless commuting from local areas. The fee covers program fee, facility fee, bento box (only 3rd day), breakfast/supper, reception, and two-night stay.
→ Applicants are accepted in first-come-first-served basis, who have completed the application process and payment.
→ For those who are using train, please get off at JR Shimosuwa station, and the place to stay/reception is within walking distance of JR Shimosuwa station. Please note that the hotel has a limited parking space. Details will be sent to you when your participation is confirmed.
→ On the first day, idea presenters are requested to make 1-min. presentation. Please make your presentation attractive, so that your peer participants will vote your idea. You will be given a sheet of paper to present your idea.
