WAOJE SANUKI 2026

New Frontiers in Management
with AI and the World.

WAOJE Sanuki 2026 evolves through a landmark partnership with the Sanuki Global Forum. A co-creation platform where overseas entrepreneurs and cutting-edge intelligence converge to spark a "disruptive evolution" in Japanese business.

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Enterprises Active Worldwide
Experience the Network.

WAOJE Sanuki 2026 reaches a new frontier through a powerful co-hosting partnership with the Sanuki Global Forum. At its core is "WAOJE x AI-Driven Management"—a mission to empower entrepreneurs with cutting-edge Generative AI strategies that are redefining global business. Featuring deep-dives into the ventures of pioneering overseas entrepreneurs, and with an expected attendance double that of last year, this event is a catalyst for cross-border synergy. It is a unique opportunity for Japan-based members to unlock new ventures and for international members to discover strategic partners in Japan, creating a true gateway for global co-creation.

19

Sessions

200+

Expected Participants

High Quality Networking

Connect with global talents who are "growing worldwide" and "unknown but interesting", not just local dignitaries.

Business Opportunities

Provides opportunities directly linked to actual business, financing, and overseas expansion, not just study sessions.

PAST EVENT

WAOJE Sanuki 2025 Highlights

Held on July 19, 2025, as the inaugural WAOJE Sanuki branch launch event. Over 100 participants gathered for a great success.

WAOJE Sanuki 2025 Group Photo
WAOJE Sanuki 2025 Sessions Collage
WAOJE Sanuki 2025 WAOJE Night

Event Highlights

100+

Participants

11

Sessions

40+

Speakers & Global Entrepreneurs

5

Side Events

SPEAKERS

Speakers & Global Entrepreneurs

* Speakers and content are subject to change.

Takeshi Izuka

Takeshi Izuka

President & CEO, Kirirom Digital, Inc. 2nd Representative Director of WAOJE

Kei Hashimura

Kei Hashimura

President, Tokushima Kongwan Niage Branch Manager, WAOJE Sanuki

Keiji Ueno

Keiji Ueno

CEO, Living at Ease 6th Representative Director of WAOJE (Current)

Yasushi Odawara

Yasushi Odawara

President, Personnel Consultant 3rd WAOJE Representative Director

Yuko Harding

Yuko Harding

Principal Solicitor, Harding Legal 4th WAOJE Representative Director

Ichiro Hishinuma

Ichiro Hishinuma

President, Hishinuma Trading Co., Ltd. 5th Representative Director of WAOJE

Yoshinari Yatagai

Yoshinari Yatagai

1st WAOJE Secretary General MD, Wellness Life Project - Bangkok

Shinichi Hosokawa

Shinichi Hosokawa

Director & Founder GMO Z.com Research Pte. Ltd

Hiromi Aoki

Hiromi Aoki

President, Suntec Co., Ltd. / WAOJE Sanuki Director

Jinichiro Shinohara

Jinichiro Shinohara

President, Bettim farm Co., Ltd. WAOJE Sanuki Director

Terukazu Miyoshi

Terukazu Miyoshi

President, Ability Center Co., Ltd. WAOJE Sanuki Director

Kiyomi Hashimoto

Kiyomi Hashimoto

CEO, Dojima Sake Brewery UK&Co.

Takuo Hasegawa

Takuo Hasegawa

CEO, J Education Co., Ltd. Chairperson, Nippon Haku Bangkok

Shunsuke Itaya

Shunsuke Itaya

CEO, DANNY Pro. Holdings Limited Partner (China Section), PKSHA Algorithm Fund

Keiji Imajo

Keiji Imajo

Representative, K2 Frontier Visiting Professor, Kwansei Gakuin University

Kenji Shiratai

Kenji Shiratai

CEO, Somtam Co., Ltd. Influencer Awa Tokushima Tourism Ambassador

Kenichi Yokofujita

Kenichi Yokofujita

Representative Director KYI Accounting & Consulting Limited

Ryoji Ikari

Ryoji Ikari

Representative Director iTech Asia Co., Ltd.

Takayuki Seki

Takayuki Seki

Director, Web Analytics Consultants Association Associate Professor, Kyoto Kacho University

Shodai Yanagimoto

Shodai Yanagimoto

Representative Director Tanaka Seisakusho Co., Ltd.

Yoshihiko Mizobuchi

Yoshihiko Mizobuchi

Representative, Mizobuchi SME Management Consultant Office WAOJE Sanuki Member

Hiroki Urano

Hiroki Urano

President, Wire Energy Co., Ltd. WAOJE Sanuki Member

Junichi Mita

Junichi Mita

President, Mai House Co., Ltd. WAOJE Sanuki Member

Naoki Hachiya

Naoki Hachiya

President, Hachiya Co., Ltd. WAOJE Sanuki Member

Wataru Aoki

Wataru Aoki

Co-founder & CEO SpaciaNet Co., Ltd.

Akiko Nishio

Akiko Nishio

Managing Director ATOZ Language Center SDN. BHD

Yosa Shibata

Yosa Shibata

Founder & CEO EIJ Consulting Private Limited

Kenichi Matsui

Kenichi Matsui

President & CEO Matsui Miso Co., Ltd.

Kengo Senuma

Kengo Senuma

SKH International FZCO

Jin Kan

Jin Kan

Representative Director Metria Co., Ltd. / Linquages Co., Ltd.

Jin Shimamoto

Jin Shimamoto

Representative Member M&J LLC

Shigeo Tada

Shigeo Tada

Tokushima Prefecture

Kazutaka Yoshimitsu

Kazutaka Yoshimitsu

Director Aglin. Co., Ltd.

Taeko Nakamura

Taeko Nakamura

Representative of Luchouette Sdn Bhd

Yuki Takahara

Yuki Takahara

Representative Director sparkjoy Inc.

Takaya Tomose

Takaya Tomose

Representative Director T.A.S. Co., Ltd.

Issei Tanimura

Issei Tanimura

Director, NPO Minna no Shinro Iinkai Mitoyo City Local Vitalization Cooperator

Daisuke Komatsubara

Daisuke Komatsubara

AI Consultant AI RISE

Hironori Koyama

Hironori Koyama

President, Three E Co., Ltd.

Hideaki Fujiyama

Hideaki Fujiyama

Representative, Lingua Franca Holdings Pte. Ltd.

Rie Yoshikawa

Rie Yoshikawa

Owner, Salon de Re:me

Miki Endo

Miki Endo

Representative Director, Mikicom Co., Ltd.

SCHEDULE

Friday, May 15th, 2026

Thursday, May 14th, 2026

Pre-Event Party

Evening

More than just a party. We are planning networking-focused activities.

09:00
Track A: 11APanel

AI Driven Management

Mod: Takeshi Izuka

Pan: Keiji Imajo

10:00
Track A: 12APanel

The Future of WAOJE

Mod: Takeshi Izuka

Pan: Keiji Ueno, Yasushi Odawara, Ichiro Hishinuma, Yuko Harding, Yoshinari Yatagai

Track C: 12CWorkshop

AI Driven Management Workshop (2) "New Standards in AI-Driven Product Development"

UI design and start of product development. Even without session (1), you can join using the provided requirements document. Dramatically reduce development costs by building it yourself.

Trainer: TBD

Assistant: TBD

11:00
Track A: 13APanel

Unique Activity Policies of WAOJE Sanuki

Mod: Kei Hashimura

Pan: Shinichi Hosokawa, Hiromi Aoki, Jinichiro Shinohara, Terukazu Miyoshi

Track CWorkshop

AI Driven Management Workshop (Cont.)

12:00
Track A: 14ABreak

Networking Lunch

13:00
Track A: 15APanel

This is How We Grow Domestic Branches of WAOJE.

Following the Leadership Summit, we will clarify the challenges of domestic branches and discuss countermeasures together.

Mod: TBD

Pan: Hironori Koyama, Kei Hashimura, Miki Endo

Track B: 15BPanel

Case Studies of Overseas Entrepreneurs (1)

Learn about the businesses of overseas entrepreneurs, especially those selling Japanese products to the world.

Mod: Naoki Hachiya

Pan: Kiyomi Hashimoto, Ichiro Hishinuma, Takuo Hasegawa

Track C: 15CLecture

Education in the AI Era: Redefining Teaching and Learning

AI is forcing education to be redesigned from a framework centered on knowledge transmission to an activity that fosters thinking, judgment, and creativity. In this session, we will take a three-dimensional look at what education should be like in the future from the perspectives of the roles of teachers and instructors, the autonomy of learners, and the restructuring of assessment.

Facilitator: Takayuki Seki

14:00
Track A: 16ASession

Overseas Expansion in a New Era: The Age of War, AI, and a Weak Yen

With rapid yen depreciation, traditional business models are failing, leading to cases of returning to Japan or moving bases (e.g., Singapore to Bangkok). Some countries have become difficult to expand into due to war, and others have stricter visa requirements. Furthermore, AI is drastically changing the industrial structure. We discuss what is needed to achieve WAOJE's mission: "Increasing the number of Japanese people active in the world."

Mod: Shinichi Hosokawa

Pan: Shunsuke Itaya

Track B: 16BPanel

Case Studies of Overseas Entrepreneurs (2)

Learn about the businesses of overseas entrepreneurs, especially in the service industry.

Mod: Rie Yoshikawa

Pan: Keiji Ueno, Yasushi Odawara, Akiko Nishio

Track C: 16CLecture

AI Personal Agent for Executives: Accelerating Thought, Judgment, and Execution

Learn executive-specific prompt design to master AI Personal Agents as a brainstorming partner, strategy hypothesis generator, and decision risk validator. Furthermore, master practical methods to dramatically improve individual productivity such as email, presentations, and planning. Also introduces the use of personal agents such as OpenClaw.

Facilitator: Shodai Yanagimoto

15:00
Track A: 17ASession

The Next Generation Goes Global!

While Japanese global expansion has been challenging, the next generation must be different. With GenAI improving language capabilities, we discuss how to enable the next generation to naturally succeed overseas.

Mod: Hiromi Aoki

Pan: Issei Tanimura, Taeko Nakamura

Track B: 17BPanel

Case Studies of Overseas Entrepreneurs (3)

Learn about the businesses of overseas entrepreneurs, especially in professional services (law, accounting, etc.).

Mod: Yoshihiko Mizobuchi

Pan: Kenichi Yokofujita, Yuko Harding, Yosa Shibata

Track C: 17CLecture

AI-Native Organizational Design & AI Talent Management

Not about replacing human work with AI, but designing organizational structures with AI as the premise. Explore process redesign (Human→AI→Human), AI agents for each role, and integrated design of talent evaluation with AI capabilities.

Facilitator: Daisuke Komatsubara

16:00
Track A: 18ASession

Cross-border M&A

Amid rapid social changes, cross-border M&A is becoming more active. Experts discuss the key points of global M&A, addressing challenges like language, culture, and legal barriers.

Mod: Terukazu Miyoshi

Pan: Hideaki Fujiyama

Track B: 18BPanel

Case Studies of Overseas Entrepreneurs (4)

Learn about the businesses of overseas entrepreneurs, especially in the marketing sector.

Mod: Hiroki Urano

Pan: Kenji Shiratai, Takaya Tomose, Yuki Takahara

Track C: 18CLecture

How to Make Strategic Decisions AI Cannot Answer

Generative AI provides answers based on past data. However, the job of an executive is to derive "answers for a future that does not yet exist." The key is the power to ask AI. Based on a thinking model that expands intuition, hypothesis, and strategic thinking, this session discusses the state of management judgment where executives and AI become one.

Facilitator: Jin Kan

17:00
Track A: 19ASession

Subsidies for Overseas Expansion

While subsidies are received by the Japanese side, we aim to build partnerships that effectively utilize them in collaboration with overseas parties.

Mod: Jinichiro Shinohara

Pan: Shigeo Tada, Jin Shimamoto, Kazutaka Yoshimitsu

Track B: 19BPanel

Case Studies of Overseas Entrepreneurs (5)

Learn about the businesses of overseas entrepreneurs, especially in the manufacturing industry.

Mod: Junichi Mita

Pan: Yoshinari Yatagai, Ryoji Ikari, Kenichi Matsui

Track C: 19CLecture

New Business in the AI Era: What Changes and What is Born

With the rapid evolution of AI, the ways of building businesses and the possibilities for new ventures are expanding significantly. This session outlines the characteristics of businesses required in the AI era, while considering the expansion of new businesses utilizing AI. We will take a birds-eye view of what kind of new businesses will emerge in the coming era, while considering changing industrial structures and the division of roles between humans and AI.

Facilitator: Kengo Senuma

18:30
Track A: 20AReception

WAOJE Night

Mod: TBD

Partners & Sponsors

Our partners who make this event possible.

Bettim farm Co., Ltd.

Bettim farm Co., Ltd.

Kirirom Digital, Inc.

Kirirom Digital, Inc.

VENUE & ACCESS

Venue & Access

By Airplane

Free shuttle service from Takamatsu Airport to Sanuki Peer Learning Hub.

* Return shuttle to airport can be arranged upon request.

Shuttle Schedule

Takamatsu Airport → Sanuki PLH

5/15 8:30
5/15 9:20
5/15 11:30

By Car

If using the expressway, exit at Tsuda-Sangawa IC.

Venue

Sanuki Peer Learning Hub
〒769-2323 1615 Kanzaki, Sangawa-cho, Sanuki, Kagawa

Parking

Free parking available (ample space)

By Train/Bus

JR Kotoku Line - Kanzaki Station

Just 4 minutes walk. Very convenient as the venue is right in front of Kanzaki Station.

Kosoku-Tsuda Highway Station

Highway bus is convenient. Get off at Kosoku-Tsuda Station. We will pick you up by car (12 min drive).

Buses available from Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Aichi, Mie, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, and Fukuoka.

Recommended Accommodation

Recommended hotels for event participants

Shuttle Available

Tresta Hakusan Hotel

Comfortable hotel near the venue

Shuttle Available

Jakomaru Park Tsuda

Accommodation adjacent to roadside station

Shuttle Available

Airbnb in Sanuki City

Experience local atmosphere

JR Clement Inn Takamatsu

Easy access via JR Kotoku Line

* No shuttle service

JR Hotel Clement Takamatsu

Easy access via JR Kotoku Line

* No shuttle service

Registration

Seats are limited. Register early to secure your spot.

Ticket TypeEarly Bird
(Ends March)
Regular
WAOJE Members¥37,400¥42,900
Partner Orgs (Shikoku)¥37,400¥42,900
General Admission¥49,500¥59,400

What's Included

All Sessions
Lunch & Drinks
Networking
Private Community Access

* The fee for the 5/14 Pre-Event Party is not included in the above tickets. Separate registration and payment are required.

Early bird tickets are available before all speakers are confirmed. We appreciate your support for the success of the event.

Cancellation Policy

Feb 15 - Mar 31

30%

Apr 1 - Apr 15

50%

Apr 16 - Apr 30

75%

May 1 onwards

100%

* Refund fees and transaction fees will be deducted.

* Early Bird tickets are limited in quantity

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Are various events held simultaneously?
What kind of co-hosted events are there?
How do I select co-hosted events?
Can non-members participate?
Is the pre-event party (5/14) fee included in the ticket?
Is there a shuttle service to the accommodation?

Still have questions?

Please feel free to contact the secretariat.

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