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“JX Live! 2026” Event Report
Click >here for more details about the ”JX Proposal 2026”.
This session brought together Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) — which is opening its first non-US office in Tokyo — and Adena T. Friedman, Chair and CEO of Nasdaq,
a leading technology platform that powers markets globally and whose exchange has supported many of the world’s largest companies since their startup stage. Together they discussed the revitalization of Japan’s innovation ecosystem and the harnessing of global capital markets.
– Adena T. Friedman (Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Nasdaq, Inc.)
– Yuji Kusunoki (President, Rakuten Securities)
– Hiroshi Mikitani (Representative Director, JANE / Chairman and President, Rakuten Group)
This session focused on the “light” and “shadow” of an AI-driven society and the “winning strategies” for Japan’s future. On the bright side, speakers proposed that AI is a tool for augmenting human creativity and could become a partner in solving social challenges and achieving a vision, as well as infrastructure for aggregating collective wisdom and enabling better decision-making.
Regarding the “shadows,” the discussion addressed the risk of AI hindering human talent development, and whether social systems can keep pace with AI replacing tasks. Speakers highlighted risks such as uncritically accepting AI output and falling into intellectual paralysis, as well as the disruption of conventional pathways where junior staff grow through foundational work as AI takes over entry-level work. It was argued that education fostering critical thinking and motivation — the ability to question AI outputs — is essential, and that urgently designing systems to facilitate smooth labor mobility across industries is crucial.
Speakers then discussed Japan’s “winning strategies” in the AI implementation phase. They stressed the importance of leveraging physical and vertical AI to overcome the challenges of an aging, declining population, while also urging Japan to boldly set a social vision. It was highlighted that AI empowers frontline-driven operational improvements, offering a prime opportunity to reactivate Japan’s renowned capabilities in “gemba (frontline)” cross-functional alignment. Unlike the West, Japan possesses a fertile soil for “connective AI” that fosters harmony among people. By building cost-effective AI models specialized in Japanese and proprietary data, Japan can bring the benefits of AI to society.
The session concluded with a powerful message to the audience: there are numerous opportunities that can only be unlocked through the presence of AI, making it vital to pursue new challenges rather than incremental extensions of the status quo. We have entered an era where human aspiration and emotion are key to bringing the “light” of AI to life and embedding it into society.
– Ting Cai (Group Senior Managing Executive Officer, Group CAIDO (Chief AI & Data Officer), Rakuten Group)
– Masaya Mori (Chief AI Officer and Corporate Officer at Hakuhodo DY Holdings / Co-Lead Director of Human-Centered AI Consortium)
– Katsuya Uenoyama (Executive Officer, JANE / Representative Director, PKSHA Technology)
– Yasuko Kataoka (Director of Policy Affairs, JANE / General Manager, Public Policy Supervisory Department, Rakuten Group)
This session explored the future of school education in the age of AI. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) first outlined plans to strengthen education on the intelligent use of information technology—addressing both its positive and negative aspects—in the upcoming revision of the national curriculum guidelines.
The subsequent discussion addressed the capabilities children will need in an AI-driven age, highlighting that “Natural Intelligence (NI)”—the body of human knowledge that underpins the effective use of AI—remains as indispensable as ever, and that learning must be structured so that content is understood holistically by connecting it to its core essence, such as underlying meaning and principles.
To cultivate such a body of knowledge, speakers emphasized the importance of education in which children autonomously set their own challenges based on their interests and think through the process of creating value—an approach that aligns well with JANE’s advocacy for entrepreneurship education. The need to develop educational AI that helps children think and build knowledge for themselves was also highlighted.
Building on these discussions, speakers proposed that future teachers will need not only subject-matter teaching skills but also the ability to deeply understand and apply the fundamentals of how humans construct knowledge—how they understand and learn—and that this capacity is relevant across all aspects of society, including corporate activity.
– Miwa Inuzuka (Vice President and Professor of Educational Psychology, Tokyo Gakugei University)
– Hiroto Iwaoka (Senior Specialist for School Education, School Curriculum Division, Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
– Koji Funatsu (Executive Officer and Chair of the Next Generation Education Working Group, JANE / Director and Corporate Advisor, Transcosmos)
Under the theme “New Markets from Energy Efficiency 5.0: Urban GX Transformed by a New Norm”, this session discussed the challenges and prospects for public-private collaboration towards Energy Efficiency 5.0 — going beyond optimizing individual buildings and equipment (Energy Efficiency 1.0–4.0) to minimize energy losses across society through data integration and AI. In Japan, AI-controlled existing facilities and digital twins have already demonstrated the ability to reduce utility costs and CO₂ emissions while maintaining comfort. However, the spread of these technologies is hindered by a lack of mechanisms to properly evaluate operational outcomes and by a misalignment between those who invest and those who benefit.
Against this backdrop, to achieve true urban GX, the session proposed shifting from evaluating buildings only at the design stage to evaluating operational performance, and constructing systems that promote behavioral change towards energy efficiency while maintaining comfort — not “endurance-based conservation” — through the visualization of ROI (asset value, rent and occupancy rate improvements, etc.) and energy consumption and sensory data, ultimately scaling up to city-wide optimization.
– Kohei Yabayashi (Chair of GX Working Group, JANE / CEO, S-Pool Blue Dot Green)
– Tomoki Inoue (Leader of the GX Implementation Sub-committee, GX Working Group, JANE / CEO, MENTERU)
— Building DEI Organizations That Thrive in the AI Era Beyond Homogeneity—
This session focused on how to build a diverse organization in the AI era and the leadership that executives must exercise. Speakers shared that the value remaining for humans in AI-era organizations spans a wide range — from creativity built from scratch and sensibility to curiosity and EQ (emotional intelligence) — and that defining the purpose of work and bearing accountability for results are also fundamentally human roles.
When it comes to deploying AI, speakers noted the risk that homogeneous organizations will mass-produce similar outputs and conventional thinking, underscoring the importance of executives themselves leading organizational transformation towards diversity.
It was also highlighted that in today’s management, investment in AI (tokens) and diversity (humans) are two wheels of the same vehicle and a crucial investment priority. Additionally, executives engaging in dialogue with diverse stakeholders to discover and understand challenges, as well as actively practicing and communicating their own AI use, were proposed as key drivers for building psychologically safe, diverse organizations that generate long-term management value.
– Akio Yamaguchi (General Manager and President, IBM Japan)
– Ai Kawaguchi (Editor-in-Chief, NewsPicks for WE / Adviser, Yamada Shintaro D&I Foundation)
– Takashi Inoue (Representative Director, JANE / Chairperson, LIFULL)
The full version of this Proposal is available here (only in Japanese).
Wide AI-nization
presented by Rakuten Mobile
—Sanrio × ADK: The Reality of Co-Creation in Overseas Expansion—
– Noriko Suemoto (Senior Planning Director, IP Business Planning Department, ADK Marketing Solutions)
presented by dentsu
presented by TIMEWELL
– Ryuta Hamamoto (Representative Director and CEO, TIMEWELL)
Representative Director & CEO, TIMEWELL / Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Shinshu University)
– Kazuki Naito (Director and CTO, TIMEWELL / Head of TRAFEED Development)
Marking its fifth year, the JX Awards 2026 selected a total of three awardees — one Grand Prize recipient and two Selection Committee Special Award recipients — through voting by leading committee members active on the front lines, with the commendation ceremony held at the JX Live! venue.
【Grand Prize】
Tomohiro Tada (Representative Director, Chief Medical Officer, AI Medical Service)
【Selection Committee Members’ Special Awards】
Takayoshi Fukuyo (CEO, ArkEdge Space)
Shoko Ugaki (CEO, Orange)
Riding the momentum of JX SESSION, the Networking Party kicked off. Attendees enjoyed lively conversation over drinks and light refreshments. ” BYAKKO BESPOKE” sake, generously provided for the second consecutive year by JANE member company Clear Inc., was again a tremendous hit.
The exhibition booths hosted by sponsors and EXHIBITION PARTNERS throughout the venue were buzzing with activity all day. The energy intensified even further once the party began, drawing a crowd of visitors who eagerly engaged with the exhibiting companies’ latest showcases.
From the JX SESSIONS featuring cutting-edge discussion among Japan’s top leaders to the JX Awards Ceremony and the hugely popular Networking Party, every program concluded to resounding success.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors, all speakers, and over 600 passionate participants.
JANE will continue to advance Japan Transformation (JX) and press forward together with all of you who are driving the changes that will unlock Japan’s future.
We look forward to welcoming you at the next edition.