To Members of the Press

Thank you very much for your continued support.

B Lab (Director: Nanako Ishido) will host the exhibition “The World in Our Minds: Neurodiversity Exhibition 2023” as the first initiative of its Neurodiversity Project, as part of the event “Change tomorrow –CHANGE TOMORROW-.”(Dates: Sunday, September 17, 2023, and Monday, September 18, 2023, a national holiday).
This exhibition features 32 exhibits from various leading Japanese universities, research institutes, and companies and is being held to promote a neurodiverse society.

Through the experiences offered in this exhibition, we propose that our senses are diverse and that individual differences can be supplemented or enhanced through technology; furthermore, by redesigning existing environments from the perspective of diversity and inclusion, we can realize a neurodiverse society where everyone can fully realize their potential.

In connection with the exhibition, we are also planning to hold talk sessions and workshops focused on building a neurodiverse society, so please check the official website for details.

We realize you are very busy, but we hope you will understand the purpose of this event and kindly consider publicizing it through your media outlets and covering the event on the day of the event. We look forward to your cooperation.

Neurodiversity Project Official Website
https://neuro-diversity.world/

Press Release
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000002.000126992.html

■The World in Our Minds ~ Neurodiversity Exhibition 2023~
Dates: September 17 (Sun) and 18 (Mon, Holiday), 2023
Times: September 17 (Sun) 1:00 PM–6:00 PM; September 18(Mon, Holiday) 11:00 AM–6:00 PM
Location: Port Hall, 1st Floor, Tokyo Port City Takeshiba Office Tower, 1-7-1 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Free
This event will be held as part of “Change tomorrow –CHANGE TOMORROW–.”
https://www.change-tomorrow-takeshiba.com/

■About the Exhibition
: In this exhibition, we refer to the worlds in which each of us lives as “Brain Worlds.” Based on the idea that Brain
Worlds are shaped by the interaction between the “individual” and the “environment,” this exhibition promotes an understanding of neurodiversity as visitors explore the following five areas:
1. Diverse Worlds 2. The Richness of the Five Senses
3. Expanding Human Potential 4
. Changing the Environment 5
. Building Society

Exhibitors:
・Ori Institute
, Inc. ・Kyoto University, Institute for the Future of Humanity and Society /TerraBers Co., Ltd.
・Crystal Road Co., Ltd. Sensory Sensitivity Research Institute・Keio
University Graduate School of Media Design Research Institute, Embodied Media Project・Keio
University Faculty of Science and Technology, Junichi Ushiba
Laboratory・National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Future ICT Research Institute, Brain-Information-Communication Convergence Research Center・Team
JSB-G: Kiri☆Konomi Akahori☆Naotsugu Taniguchi
· Superhuman Sports Project · Kuzuoka-Narumi Laboratory, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of
Tokyo · Haptics Laboratory, Graduate School of
Nagoya Institute of Technology / Inamori Science Research Institute
·Howdy, Inc. / ViXion, Inc.
・Fujitsu Limited, Converging Technology Laboratories, Social Technology Division, Social Implementation Promotion Office, DE&I Project・Meiji Gakuin University

, Department of Economics, Experimental Economics Laboratory・Mediva, Inc.
・Moonshot R&D Initiative Goal 1: “Development of Cybernetic Avatar Technologies and Social Infrastructure to Foster Physical Co-creation”
・Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Research on Academic Transformation Areas (B) “Establishment of the Economics of Digital
Embodiment”・Yokohama City University Minds1020Lab (COI-NEXT “Meta-Care City Co-creation Hub for Resolving Youth Issues and Achieving High Well-being”)
・RIKEN Cognitive Behavior Support Technology
Team・Ritsumeikan University Cognitive Design
Laboratory・B Lab・
MTRL by Loftwork, Aug Lab by Panasonic Holdings Corporation, GADARA
, NHK “Project Alien” Production Team,
NTT Communication Science Laboratories
, NTT Human Informatics Laboratories,
General Incorporated Association WITH ALS, Dentsu Science Jam, Inc., NOUPATHY
.

■Talk Session: We will host a talk session on the theme of neurodiversity. We will discuss how to create a society where everyone can reach their full potential through
environmental adaptations and the enhancement of physical and cognitive functions.

Toward
a Neurodiverse Society Date and Time: Monday, September 18, 2023, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Venue: Port Hall/Stage, Tokyo Port City Takeshiba

Panelists (titles omitted):
Joichi Ito (President, Chiba Institute of Technology)
; Junichi Ushiba (Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University)
; Kota Minamizawa (Professor, KMD Research Institute, Keio University)
; Orii Yoshifuji (Representative Director and Chief Vision Officer, Orii Institute, Inc.)
Moderator: Nanako Ishido (Director, B Lab)

Registration: If you would like to participate in the talk session, please register using the URL below.
https://peatix.com/event/3680742/view

■ Workshop
: We will hold a workshop on September 17 at the same venue.

“Heart Picnic”: A Workshop to Experience the Heartbeat From the moment we’re born, our
hearts beat ceaselessly to sustain our vital functions.
“Heart Picnic” is a workshop where we bring the heart out of our bodies and experience its texture in the palm of our hands.
Participants will take time to carefully experience how their own heart beats in the palm of their hand, observe how it changes while exercising or lying down,
and even exchange hearts with other participants to feel the differences and engage in dialogue.
Reference: Watanabe, Kawaguchi, Sakakura, & Ando. Journal of the Japan Virtual Reality Society 16(3), 303–306, 2011.

Date and Time: September 17 (1:15–2:00 p.m./3:15–4:00 p.m./5:00–5:45 p.m.)
Speaker Profile: Junji Watanabe (NTT Communication Science Laboratories):Researcher
in Haptics and Well-being. This workshop was also co-designed with the following individuals: Yui Kawaguchi (dancer/choreographer),
Kyosuke Sakakura (Professor, Faculty of Urban Life, Tokyo City University), and Hideyuki Ando (Professor, Department of Art and Science, Osaka University of Arts / Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Information Science, Osaka University).

Registration:
Please register at the reception booth for the “The World in Our Minds” exhibition on the 17th, no later than 5 minutes before the start time. Registration for all sessions begins at 1:00 PM.

■What Is the Neurodiversity Project
? We launched the Neurodiversity Project with the goal of building a society where every individual can bring their unique “strengths” to bear in their own setting.
With B Lab serving as the secretariat, leading universities, research institutes, and companies across Japan are participating and working together to advance the project.
We believe that by respecting individual characteristics and creating appropriate environments, we can transform what was once considered a “weakness” or a “challenge” into a “strength” and a “source of ease.” We aim to foster understanding of
neurodiversity and build a society where every individual can fully utilize their unique “strengths” wherever they are.
https://neuro-diversity.world/

■ Neurodiversity Project Members (List of Representatives)
・ Kazunori Asada (Chairman of the Board, Howdy Co., Ltd. / Chairman of the Board, ViXion Co., Ltd.)
・ Ryoichi Ando (Director, Superhuman Sports Project / President and CEO, AXEREAL Co., Ltd. / Super Visiting Professor, Professional University of Information Management and Innovation)
・ Nanako Ishido (Director, B Lab / Professor, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University)
・ Joichi Ito (President, Chiba Institute of Technology / Representative Director, Neurodiversity, Inc.)
・ Masahiko Inami (Special Advisor to the President, The University of Tokyo / Professor, Department of Somatic Informatics, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology)
・ Keigo Inukai (Associate Professor, Faculty of Economics, Meiji Gakuin University / Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) “Creation of the Economics of Digital Embodiment”)
・ Takashi Inba (Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University / Member of the Graduate School of Policy and Media Studies)
・ Junichi Ushiba (Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University / President and CEO, LIFESCAPES Co., Ltd.)
・ Mihoko Otake (Team Leader, Cognitive and Behavioral Support Technology Team, RIKEN / Project Manager, Goal 3, Moonshot Research and Development Program)
・ Roei Kato (President and CEO, Sensory Sensitivity Research Institute, Crystal Road Co., Ltd.)
・ Ryota Kanai (CEO, Araya Co., Ltd.)
・ Shigeru Kitazawa (Director, Center for Brain-Information-Communication Convergence, Future ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology)
・ Kiri(Professor, Department of Art and Design Expression, Media Expression Division, Joshibi University of Art and Design)
・ Seiji Kumagai (Associate Professor, Institute for the Future of Humanity and Society, Kyoto University / Program Director, Moon Shot R&D Initiative Goal 9)
・ Shinichiro Kumagai (Associate Professor, User-Centered Research Division, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo)
・ Yoshiyuki Yamakai (Professor, School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba / President and CEO, CYBERDYNE, Inc.)
・ Yoshihiro Tanaka (Professor, Haptics Laboratory, Graduate School of Nagoya Institute of Technology / Fellow, Inamori Institute for Science and Research)
・ Shie Nagai(Specially Appointed Professor, International Institute for Neurointelligence, The University of Tokyo)
・ Takushi Narumi (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo)
・ Keisuke Hosokawa (Producer, “Project Alien,” NHK)
・ Chihiro Hosoda (Associate Professor, Department of Human and Social Information Science, Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University / Associate Professor, Division of Brain Science, Institute of Aging Research, Tohoku University / Project Manager, Goal 9, Moonshot R&D Program)
・ Tatsuya Honda(Project Leader, Ontenna Project, Social Technology and Social Implementation Promotion Office, Converging Technology Laboratories, Fujitsu Limited)
・ Risuki Matsumoto (Representative Director, Neurodiversity Inc.)
・ Kota Minamizawa (Professor, Keio Media Design Research Institute, Keio University / Project Manager, Moon Shot Research and Development Initiative Goal 1)
・ Tomoyuki Miyazaki (Professor, Center for Research and Industry-Academia Collaboration, Yokohama City University / Project Leader, Minds1020Lab ~COI-NEXT “Co-creation Hub for Meta-Care Cities to Resolve Youth Issues and Achieve High Well-being”~)
・ Kazuya Yanagihara (Creative Director, MTRL by Loftwork)
; Kentaro Yoshifuji (Co-founder, Representative Director, and CVO, Orii Institute, Inc.)
; Arifumi Wada(Professor, Cognitive Design Laboratory, Ritsumeikan University)
・Junji Watanabe (Senior Special Research Fellow, NTT Communication Science Laboratories)
(Titles omitted; listed in alphabetical order)

■Overview of B Lab
: “B Lab”—an acronym for “Beyond, Borderless, Breakthrough”—is a participatory platform that, while billed as a research
institute, connects universities, research institutes, communities, and talent from around the world to fuse the unique skills and insights of
many people, thereby creating new technologies, services, content, businesses, and societies.
While its scope is broad—encompassing technology development, solving social issues, and creating new services—
the common thread is social implementation and collective creation. Everyone—
fathers, mothers, aunts, and children—is a researcher.
Become a “Lifelong Seeker” and carry a second “researcher” business card.
Social, open, and participatory, the platform connects everyone—including users—to build a new society. It aims to match
challenges, ideas, technologies, funding, skills, and people,
so that together we can create an exciting future through innovations ranging from small to large.
https://www.blaboratory.org/

■Inquiries
regarding this press release: B Lab Secretariat, E-mail: info@blaboratory.org