TOMODACHI MUFG Sustainable Entrepreneurship Program Kicks Off with Inspiring Online Seminars

The TOMODACHI Initiative has launched the TOMODACHI MUFG Sustainable Entrepreneurship Program 2024.

The program is a leadership development program for high school students across Japan that focuses on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fosters a passion to make the world a better place for the benefit of people and the planet.

Sixteen students from across Japan were selected and the first preliminary training session was successfully held on June 1, 2024. During the very first training, participants reflected on their values and communication types and spent time on team-building activities to get to know each other better. In the second session on June 8, Mr. Keita Miura, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group introduced the company and its sustainability initiatives, and he personally spoke to the students about the company’s vision and hopes as a sponsoring company of the program. Furthermore, the workshop was designed to encourage participants to think of their Own Project based on significant life events that have influenced them. Prior to the trip to the U.S. in July, Dr. Nori Tarui, Professor of Department of Economics, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa who is a USJC member and Mr. Hiroaki Suetsugu, President of Suetsugu Design Laboratory, are also scheduled to join online sessions as special guest speakers.

Participant Arata Nakao reflected on the training, stating, “Until now, I didn’t have the courage to initiate projects on my own, however, the sessions helped me to realize that collaborating with peers could make it easier for us to start something new. I appreciated the opportunity to have deep discussions with other participants who had diverse viewpoints. Additionally, even though I had a desire to try something new, I had not fully thought about what values and impact they might add to society. I was able to gain a new perspective through the training.”

From June to August, over approximately three months, participants will form teams to identify and address issues in current society in order for them to find solutions from the perspective of well-being. Specifically, during the program, participants will learn how to design innovative social systems that go beyond previous generations’ ideas and to develop the ability to face challenges, continuously taking new steps forward.

From July 29 until August 6, 2024, participants are scheduled to visit Silicon Valley and San Francisco, the hub of startups, for company visits and workshops, as well as a visit to Stanford University.