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A Message from the Editor
To All Subscribers of the B Lab Newsletter
Starting this month, we will be sending out the B Lab .
B Lab—
an acronym for Beyond, Borderless, and Breakthrough—is a lab where all kinds of organizations and individuals collaborate across every possible barrier to create an
exciting future together through a Newsletter.
It’s a place where diverse people and new technologies intersect to create new services, content, businesses, and societies.
It’s a social, open, digital, and socially impactful playground—relaxed and fun. We
aim to build
such a lab, and we look forward to your continued support.
◆ If you wish to unsubscribe from our Newsletter,
please click here. Alternatively, please contact us at admin@blaboratory.org with “Unsubscribe” clearly stated in the subject line of your email. |
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“Super SDGs Lab,” which mobilizes society as a whole to support the actions of individuals and organizations using technology to solve social issues and implement solutions, is now fully operational!
This project is being promoted in collaboration with the Kyoto Super SDGs Consortium (Kyoto University, Kyoto City, SoftBank Corp., and approximately 10 other companies). We will be hosting an “Education × SDGs” Symposium (July 26) and workshops for education professionals (August 2 & August 10)!
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Conducting a pilot experiment on virtual classroom lessons to provide optimal learning experiences for individual students and explore new educational methods! NEC Corporation and iU have conducted a pilot experiment on virtual space classes, leveraging iU’s learning analytics research alongside NEC’s XR technology and the “NEC Emotion Analysis Solution.”Going forward, we aim to expand learning venues and opportunities through the use of advanced technologies—such as XR and Local 5G, which enables high-speed, high-capacity, low-latency communication—and to provide new ways of learning in the metaverse era.
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◆ Introducing a B Lab Researcher B Lab researchers are active at the forefront of various industries. For this feature, we spoke with Professor Kiri of the Tokyo University of the Arts. |
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Professor Kiri, Department of Art and Design Expression,
Joshibi University of Art and Design Professor, Media Expression |
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◆ Please tell us about your day-to-day activities!As a faculty member at an art university, I teach courses focused on character design and the planning and development of digital content, primarily through projects in collaboration with external partners. I also plan and run animation workshops for middle and high school students, as well as creative workshops for children. I studied art in the College of Education during my undergraduate years. From my student days until now, I have continued to engage in both “teaching” and “creating.”
◆Please tell us about the activities of the Virtual Lab♪ The project theme for the 2021 academic year is research on original character development.“With online meetings and social media communication becoming part of our daily lives, we’re spending more time interacting with others through avatars (profile pictures) than through our actual physical selves. In the Original Character Research Group, we design characters that represent ourselves and create avatars and stickers.” Based on this call for participants, three members joined, and the project kicked off last September. Even when we talk about “characters,” everyone has a different way of thinking about them. |
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◆ What’s New! for Each Project
◎ Inter-academic Entrepreneur School We are hosting the Inter-academic Entrepreneur School Startup Program (IESSP) for students nationwide interested in entrepreneurship. Approximately 200 students, 20 educational institutions, and over 20 companies are participating and collaborating to drive the project forward! ⇒ For details,
click here
◎ Sumida Town Meeting Project In preparation for the “Sumida Town Meeting” to be held on Wednesday, August 3, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, student project members are planning the event as part of the Planning and Operations Committee. For details on the Sumida Town Meeting and the registration form,
click here.
◎Sumida Festival & Children’s Festival Project For this event—the largest in the ward, attracting approximately 300,000 visitors—students serve as executive committee members, responsible for planning initiatives using video and other materials, as well as managing booths on the day of the event.
◎Project to Bridge the Digital Divide for the Elderly A student project aimed at identifying and solving issues for the approximately 10,000 members of Sumida Ward’s senior citizen clubs began in July, focusing on the planning and implementation of initiatives.
◎ CiP Council: Report on the Metaverse Project Launch Event The CiP Council launched the “Metaverse Project,” aimed at further developing the content industry online. We hosted an online launch event on Monday, July 11, featuring guests including Takuya Hirai, the first Minister of Digital Affairs. Please view the archived video
here.
◎ Jissen! DX iU and And Digital Co., Ltd. have released a new course, “DX Essential for Today’s Business Leaders: An Introduction to Digital Transformation,” as part of their joint talent development service “Jissen! DX.” This course explains why DX is currently gaining attention and how organizations should approach it. |
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B Lab’s chapters are spreading across the globe, both
◆ B Lab Chapter News
virtually and in person. In our first issue for July, we’re sharing brief messages from the organizers of each chapter♪
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B Lab Singapore
I’ve had the opportunity to meet various businesspeople, primarily in Japan and Singapore, and I’ve always been excited about their futures. Through B Lab, I strongly feel that we can continue to connect these moments, foster co-creation, and spread that spirit even further. Whether online or offline, I hope to support our activities as a participatory platform that helps create an exciting future. (Takahiko Ito / CO&CO CDO)
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B Lab Adelaide
I was born in Adelaide, Australia, but have lived in Japan for about half my life. Just like
Nikola Tesla, I hope that many Japanese researchers will collaborate with Australian researchers to invent the most amazing technologies, software, services, and companies that will connect Adelaide and Tokyo in the future. (Adrian David Cheok / Full-time Faculty Member, iU)
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B Lab Yoyogi Cafe Through our collaboration with B Lab, we will evolve a self-governing, decentralized network of experts from all fields to form a self-organizing, decentralized organization! The keywords are “Cross-Border, Co-Creation, Disruption, and Innovation.” Let’s all work together to build an exciting future! (Shinya Yamamoto / CEO, Link & Innovation)
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B Lab Chiba I hope to develop initiatives that foster the creation of community-rooted brands and generate new employment opportunities. I’d be delighted if we could all take on these challenges together in a fun and engaging way. I look forward to working with you all through this initiative.
(Masami Hamazaki / President and CEO, Media Incubate)
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◆ Announcements from Participating Organizations and Researchers
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● Learning of
Tomorrow We are holding an online symposium during lunch hour (12:00 PM – 12:55 PM). We look forward to your participation. |
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◆Handling of Personal Information We will handle the personal information we have received from you (such as your name and contact information) appropriately in accordance with our Privacy Policy, and we will use it to deliver this Newsletter and to communicate with you. We appreciate your understanding regarding our handling of personal information.
◆If you wish to unsubscribe from the Newsletter, please click
here. Alternatively, please contact us at admin@blaboratory.org with “Unsubscribe” clearly stated in the subject line of your email. |
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July 2022, Vol. 1 Publisher: Nanako Ishido
Editor: ChikaAddress: 1-18-13 Bunka, Sumida-ku, Tokyo info@blaboratory.org Masuda |
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