An Issue Japan is Facing
In Japan, the voting rate of the young people is 30%, which poses threats to our democracy. This is why we, Shokasonjuku inc., are sending comedians to schools all over Japan to teach politics in an entertaining way. However, we are the only organization focused on educating voters at the national level, and other similar private organizations, NPOs, and companies have been terminated due to the lack of support systems for these kinds of projects. We made this English webpage to connect with like-minded allies all over the world. We have researched voter education in countries including Sweden, England, Germany, and France. We would love to find and work with like-minded people in other countries, too.
We deliver social issue lectures that make you laugh and learn!
Shoukasonjuku inc.
Our Projects
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Travelling Lectures
We have sent comedians to schools and companies all over Japan to teach our special lectures, and we have been able to reach 70,000 people so far. We teach about topics such as voter education (politics), SDGs, and career education. We teach topics about society that are important in life but are hard for teachers to teach, using the power of humor.
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YouTube
Takamatsu Nana channel
We have a YouTube channel that targets young people, where we post videos about our activities overseas and our interviews with famous people such as comedians,actors and specialists in the field. As of September 2022, we have 140,000 subscribers.
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SDGs Card game
We sell “SDGs old maid card game” which was made by comedians and our staff.
The objective of this game is to get rid of all the cards in your hand first. When you have two of the same card you may discard them. When you discard your cards, you must follow the instructions from the "instruction card" of the same number. You will learn about each SDG and related issues through the instruction cards. Acting out what's written on the instruction cards will make it more fun and promote learning.
Accomplishments
We have taught dozens of classes at big companies, including some companies that are listed with the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In 2022, we partnered with Gunma Prefecture and visited all the high schools in Gunma to teach them about politics. At the national election in Gunma after the program, the voting rate for voters who are 18 years old increased by 8%.
Nana Takamatsu
Japanese Journalist / YouTuber / CEO of Shoukasonjuku inc.
A Japanese journalist and the CEO of Shoukasonjuku inc. A former director at NHK, a Japanese public broadcasting company.
Shoukasonjuku is the only private company in Japan that educates the general public, especially junior and senior high school students, about their rights in politics and voting.
Nana’s Message
In Japan, the voting rates are at a low level, and there is not much education regarding politics and citizenship. I would like to see how other countries tackle this problem and share that with others in
Japan.