EMAIL NEWSLETTER Vol. 45 (February 2026 Issue) |
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◆ Announcement from the B Lab Secretariat: |
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We Held the B Lab Market! On Thursday, January 22, 2026, we held “B Lab Marche 2026,” a student-led networking event planned and organized by students at the iU Sumida Campus. Approximately 120 people attended, and with more booths than last year, the venue was bustling from start to finish.It was a day filled with project presentations, networking, and learning. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated. We hope you’ll look forward to next year’s event as well. |
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◆ What’s New! from Each Project: |
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Neurodiversity Project Interview Series, Episode 30 For the 30th installment of our interview series, we welcomed Professor Tomi Hiroi from the Department of Robotics Engineering, Faculty of Robotics and Design Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, who spoke about his research on “AI conversational robots that help families living apart share ‘positive experiences’ and enhance their sense of happiness.”
Click here for details. |
Neurodiversity Project:
“The World in Our Minds 2025” Event Report We have posted an event report for “The World in Our Minds 2025: Neurodiversity,” held in November 2025, on our official website. The report features photos from the venue and details the day’s events, which brought together 77 hands-on exhibits from industry, government, and academia across Japan and attracted approximately 30,000 visitors to the Chomorrow complex. Please take a look.
Click here for
details. |
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iU MID Lab. (Taro Matsumura Laboratory) Holds 3rd Graduation Project Presentation iU MID Lab. (Media Innovation Design Lab.) held its 3rd Graduation Project Presentation on January 29, 2026. Sixteen students presented their individual projects under three themes: “Deep Tech & AI,” “Deep Creative,” and “Deep Life Innovation.” Videos of the presentations are available on YouTube.The videos are divided into chapters, so please feel free to focus on the themes that interest you most.
Click here for details. |
Stanford-Style Generative AI Bootcamp Mini We are pleased to welcome Dr. Jeremy Atlee, Visiting Professor at Stanford University’s d.school, for an intensive “Stanford-Style Generative AI Bootcamp Mini” on March 25 and 26, 2026.Professor Ebata will speak online on the first day, and Visiting Professor Atlee on the second day. The event will be held in a hybrid format (in-person and via Zoom), and we plan to offer on-demand recordings and a Q&A session afterward. A 10% discount code [Blab-GAIBC-10] is available for Blab affiliates.
Click here for details. |
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◆ Announcements
from Participating Organizations and Researchers |
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● Call for Portfolio Companies and Interns (NFTMedia Co., Ltd. / Norito Kobayashi (Visiting Professor)) “NFTMedia,” one of Japan’s largest NFT-related media outlets, is recruiting interns interested in web3 business. We are also investing in startups, including those in the web3 sector. If you are interested, please contact us via the inquiry form at the URL below.
● Call for Participants: “Two Days of Bringing the Unitree G1 to Life” Humanoid Robot Hackathon! (Yamariki Edge LLC) We are hosting a hackathon where participants will actually operate the cutting-edge humanoid robot “Unitree G1.” We welcome a diverse range of participants, including not only engineers but also designers, planners, and students.The event will be held online on Friday, March 27, 2026, and at RoboLink (Fujisawa) on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Participation is free, and capacity is limited to 25 participants.
● “eSports English Conversation” Adopted for Public Elementary School Classes! (Geshipi Inc., CEO Takuya Manabe) Geshipi Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takuya Manabe; hereinafter “Geshipi”), a metaverse education startup utilizing esports, has piloted the “Esports English Conversation” program as part of foreign language classes for third-grade and higher students at a public elementary school in Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture.
● “eSports English Conversation” Renamed to “e-Spi!” (Geshipi Co., Ltd., Representative Director Takuya Manabe) The educational content “eSports English Conversation,” operated by Geshipi Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takuya Manabe; hereinafter “Geshipi”), a metaverse education startup utilizing eSports, will change its service name to “eSpi!” (pronounced “E-Spi”) effective February 1, 2026.
●Editorial Board – Academia Biomedical Engineering Journal (iU Professor Kamya Yekeh Yazdandoost) I have been selected to join the Editorial Board of the Academia Biomedical Engineering Journal.
●PPP Symposium to be held on March 6, 2026! (PPP: PopPowerProject) On March 6, 2026, we will host a symposium titled “Considering the Future of the Entertainment and Content Industries” in Marunouchi, featuring working-level officials from relevant government ministries and the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren). We will engage in a frank exchange of views on future directions, taking into account policy discussions and challenges on the ground. We hope you will join us!
● A new article has been published on “Toyo Keizai Online”! (Shōichi Ōkawa, Ryugaku Sommelier Co., Ltd.) An article covering study abroad in Malaysia, titled “The Compelling Reasons Japanese Students Are Choosing ‘Malaysia’,” has been published on Toyo Keizai Online.
● Call for Papers for “Manga Studies” Vol. 2 / “Manga Studies” Vol. 2 CFP (Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center / Kyoto Seika University IMRC) “Manga Studies” is an online academic journal dedicated to manga research that was launched last year.
We are now accepting submissions of peer-reviewed papers for “Volume 2,” scheduled for publication in fiscal year 2026.In addition to research papers on manga or similar visual expressions, we are also seeking papers aligned with the special issue theme “Manga and Platforms.” The submission deadline is March 31, 2026. We look forward to receiving your active submissions.
Manga Studies is an online academic journal dedicated to manga studies, launched last year.
We are pleased to announce that, beginning with Volume 2 to be published in the 2026 academic year, the journal will begin accepting submissions of peer-reviewed articles. We invite research articles on manga or related forms of visual expression, as well as submissions addressing the special issue theme, “Manga and Platforms.”
The submission deadline is March 31, 2026. We look forward to your submissions.
●To All Visiting Faculty Members: A Request for a Survey from the iU AI Task Force (iU Professor Taro Matsumura) Since the President’s declaration to “become a university of AI,” iU has been promoting the use of AI across educational and research activities, projects, and administrative operations.In particular, as a professional university, we aim to cultivate “next-generation AI professionals” and “AX professionals” (AI Transformation) and prepare students to contribute immediately to society. As part of this effort, we will conduct a semi-annual AI baseline survey.We apologize for the inconvenience, but we kindly ask for your cooperation in completing the following survey, which is due by February 22, 2026. Thank you for your support. ⇒ For details,
click here
● Business × Research Festival Held at Yushima Tenjin (wee, Inc. / Seiichi Takeuchi) “SCIENCE HIVE 2026,” Japan’s first festival connecting research and business, will be held at Yushima Tenmangu Shrine, the shrine dedicated to the god of learning. By fusing the passion of researchers with the challenges of entrepreneurs, we will delve deeply into the major issues that will transform society. Let’s come together at this symbol of knowledge to discuss the future that will shape the next decade. ⇒ For details,
click here
● Symposium on AI-Driven Cyber Resilience and Public-Private & International Collaboration! (Makiko Yoshida, Specially Appointed Professor at iU) With an eye on the rise of AI agents and the spread of physical AI that drives the real world, this symposium—co-hosted by iU—will bring together industry, government, and academia for in-depth discussions on the most critical challenge: realizing a safe and secure AI society, while examining new risks related to AI reliability, safety, and cybersecurity.
● We are hosting an online symposium (Learning of Tomorrow) We will hold an online symposium during lunch hour (12:00 PM – 12:55 PM). We look forward to your participation.
・March 4 (Wed)
“Redesigning Active Learning Spaces: Issues Raised by the Nakajima Memorial Library at Akita International University” Tetsuya
Toyota, Director, Nakajima Memorial Library, Akita International University |
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February 2026, Vol. 45
Publisher: Nanako Ishido Editor: Mikiko KobayashiAddress: 1-18-13 Bunka, Sumida-ku, Tokyo info@blaboratory.org
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