On November 19, 2010, “Youth Challenge: Japan-Korea Social Enterprise Forum” was held in the basement auditorium of Josai’s Kioicho campus. The event was conducted as part of Japan Foundation’s Japan-Korea social exchange program and featured participation from JICPAS as well as the Mizuta Graduate School of International Administration (MGSIA). Many attendees, including students from both Japan and Korea, participated in the event, contributing to two highly informative sessions.

Session 1 consisted of a panel discussion aimed at Japanese and Korean youth with Kiyoshi Mutou of Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan and Tully’s Coffee Japan founder and National Diet member Kouta Matsuda as panelists and MGSIA faculty member Takahiro Suzuki as coordinator all of who offered many thought-provoking opinions. All panelists agreed that one thing that Japan and Korea have in common is the need for an education system that teaches youth to translate their knowledge of micro and macro into an understanding of economics and ability to analyze.

In Session 2, a panel of three students gave a presentation regarding the potential for youth-based initiatives in Korean society. Later Kei Kudou, Director of youth labor support group Sodateage-Net provided comments on the student presentation as well as details regarding activities sponsored by his organization. The session concluded with a pledge to continue to work to create more forums that promote cooperation and discussion between Japanese and Korean young people.

For the many students aspiring to be entrepreneurs, the forum offered a model for success in Mr. Matsuda in addition to valuable testimony from the other participants, resulting in a memorable event rich with practical information.